Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke Season 1 (Part I)
by Nerdherder51
Summary: A ONCE UPON A TIME / DISNEY FAIRIES crossover story. Regina's dark curse invades Pixie Hollow and brings many of the fairies to our world. They live alongside Snow White and the people of the Enchanted Forest, trapped in a prison of time with no memories of their past or true selves. But could one of them help Emma break the curse? Rated T. Continues in Pt II.
1. Chapter 1

**(Disney's) Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 1, Chapter 1**

* * *

Tinker Bell and _Disney Fairies_ and all related characters are the property of The Walt Disney Company. Tinker Bell originated by author J. M. Barrie.

_Once Upon a Time_ and all related characters are the property of ABC Studios. _Once Upon a Time_ created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.

This fan fiction is not for profit or monetary gain. It is intended only for the entertainment of its audience.

The intent of this fan fiction is to blend in an original story involving several of the characters from the Disney Fairies franchise into the ongoing narrative of the television show.

Notes:

1) Characters, places and events are from the Tinker Bell movie verse (_Peter Pan_; _Tinker Bell_; _Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure_; et al). Characters, places and events for the book verse will be noted within the chapter and the notes when they appear.

2) Mild Alternate / Divergent Universes for both franchises.

3) The Tinker Bell character which appears in this work of fan fiction is not the same Tinker Bell which appears in Season 3.

4) Plot summaries of each episode are included for the benefit of those who have not seen the television series. Some events that occur during the show will have an impact on the original narrative involving the Disney Fairies characters. I strongly encourage readers not familiar with the series to watch the show. It is an excellent entertainment and since it is a visual medium there is a great deal of background detail that will deepen the understanding and experience of the show's plot lines and characters. Previously aired episodes can be found on DVD / Blu-Ray, Netflix and Hulu Plus.

This originated in the section Movies - Tinker Bell. It has been moved to the crossover section beginning with chapter 30.

* * *

OUAT events occur during the first season episode titled "Pilot."

* * *

**Once upon a time...**

**There was an enchanted island where lived **  
** all the Never Fairies we know and love.**

**Or think we know.**

**One day they found themselves**  
** trapped in a place where all their**  
** happy endings were stolen.**

**Our world.**

**This is how it happened…**

**~O~  
**

SNOW WHITE'S CASTLE, THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Grumpy the dwarf kept watch with one of his brothers from the parapet of the castle. He and his brother dwarves swore to help and protect Snow White and David, whom she had nicknamed "Prince Charming," at all costs against Queen Regina and her vow to steal all of their happy endings. When he looked out across the mountains, which were covered with lush, tall, green trees, he saw what he had been dreading for months. A large, billowing cloud. It was purple, spit ominous green lightning and rolled across the mountains and forests with incredible speed, swallowing the landscape acres at a time. This was it, the end of the Enchanted Forest, just as Rumpelstiltskin had predicted. Regina's curse had arrived and Grumpy had to inform his Prince and Princess.

"It's here!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. He then rang the large bell that served as the alarm and everyone in the castle now knew the time had come. They were all to be trapped in a prison. A prison of time for all eternity unless Snow White could enter the magical wardrobe that Geppetto and his son, Pinocchio had carved. It would whisk Snow and her unborn child to a safe place beyond the reaches of Regina's curse. Twenty eight years later, Snow and her child, a girl she had already named Emma, would seek out and defeat Regina, breaking the curse and setting everyone free.

But there was a complication, Snow White gave birth _before_ the wardrobe was ready. It only had enough magic to transport one person. Emma was to be the one who would defeat Regina in the final battle so the child had to go through the wardrobe by herself. A helpless infant going to a strange land. Snow and Charming hoped that she would survive and return to set them all free. Snow wanted desperately to go with her newborn, but she could not. She felt sick because she was to abandon her baby, but it was the only way to ensure that all of the residents of the Enchanted Forest would be able to escape Regina's prison.

Having just given birth, Snow could not take the baby. So her loving and heroic husband Charming took the infant down the hallway to the nursery that was to have been Emma's. The couple had been designing and decorating the nursery until they found out what Regina had intended to do. The plans were abandoned and the room was turned into the workshop where the wardrobe was carved out of the last magical tree in the land. As he made his way down the hall with his newborn baby in one arm, Charming had to sword fight his way through several of Regina's men. He fought bravely, slaying many of the black clad knights. In the nursery the fighting continued until Charming could finally put the child in the wardrobe and closed its doors.

David fought nonstop to protect the wardrobe and Emma until she could be transported to the distant land where she, hopefully, would be safe, grow up and return to break Regina's curse. Charming was laying low Regina's knights until one finally stabbed him through the heart. He collapsed and watched helplessly as the dark warrior forced open the doors to the wardrobe. Had he failed? Would baby Emma still be in there to be plucked before she could be magically taken to safety?

When the doors were opened the wardrobe was empty. The baby was gone and David finally succumbed to his wounds secure in the knowledge that he had indeed completed his goal. He may die this day, but at least the residents of the Enchanted Forest and his beloved wife would be safe once Emma returned to break the evil spell. Snow White finally made her way to the nursery where she found her nearly dead husband lying on the ground, bleeding out. Regina entered the room triumphant. But she was informed that Emma was gone and Snow defiantly spat out that Regina would be fated to lose. Snow took great comfort in knowing this. But it did not matter to Regina, she would finally get her own happy ending, by robbing everyone else of theirs.

A terrible whirlwind appeared and tore the roof from the nursery. The curse began to pull them away.

"Where are we going?" Snow asked Regina, her step mother.

"Some place horrible," Regina replied happily, laughing as she and her step daughter, the person responsible for robbing Regina of her happily ever after, were pulled from the Enchanted Forest and taken, with the other residents of the land, to a distant realm. A place with no magic of its own. Our world.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (the early Edwardian Era on the Mainland)

Clarion, queen of the never fairies, was looking at reports detailing the progress being made for the preparations for her wedding to her beloved Lord Milori She, Fairy Mary and the four ministers of the seasons had gathered near the border where the ceremony was to be held.

"We're behind schedule," Fairy Mary, the tinker overseer and project leader for the ceremony told Queen Clarion.

"Everything looks fine, Mary," Clarion replied with a bit of a laugh. Fairy Mary always said her charges were behind schedule, even when they weren't.

"Well I see it differently, Ree," Fairy Mary replied, "if I let those fairies think we're right on schedule or ahead they'll slack off, then we will most certainly fall behind. We won't be late on my watch. Not if I can help it."

The queen laughed at Mary's deadpan seriousness. Fairy Mary and Queen Clarion were old friends. They had known each other since Clarion was a princess and Mary was just a regular tinker, before she had ascended to guild supervisor of the Tinker Talents. Mary was one of the few fairies who could address the queen with the familiar "Ree" rather than the more formal _Queen Clarion_. It was a privilege Fairy Mary had earned over many centuries of loyal service and devoted friendship to the queen.

"You've never disappointed me, Mary, and you never will," the queen reassured her. "Everything looks perfect."

"Thank you, Your Highness. We will be ready on time," she replied.

"Excellent," Clarion said. "I will see you in the morning, Mary, I still have much work of my own to do." The beautiful queen of the never fairies, dressed in a shimmering gold dress and propelled by large monarch wings evaporated into three balls of glowing pixie dust and hastened back to the Pixie Dust Tree. The next morning she was to receive two surprises: one grand, the other terrifying.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The curse had taken the others. The Blue Fairy watched in horror as Snow White's castle was engulfed in the dark purple fog. The lightning it spit felt so evil that it scared even the most powerful fairy in all of the enchanted forest. She readied herself for the dark curse to take her when she noticed that Regina's magic was opening a portal to another realm. The evil queen wasn't just satisfied with taking the residents of this land, she was going to take residents of another world, too. Did her anger and hatred know no bounds? Blue deduced that Queen Regina was targeting anyone who had slighted her, or even those whom she suspected had slighted her.

She flew towards the portal to warn the residents there when she noticed that several portals had opened up. Which one? She could only travel through one of them. Once the dark magic made its way to the other realm there would be no coming back as there would be nothing to come back to. Flying near the opened doorways she felt the magic of each realm. One of them caught her attention. It felt familiar, but also different. _Fairies_? Blue thought. She hesitated, but decided to help save others of her own kind and went through.

* * *

NEVER LAND (Early Edwardian Era)

Once on the other side the Blue Fairy cast a shield spell to stop the progress of the dark magic, but it would not hold for long. At most it would last two full days, then her magic would run out and the curse would take anyone in its path. Blue could feel the magic in this realm. It was coming from an island in the midst of a vast body of water. She flew towards it and hoped she would could convince those who lived there to escape. _But to where_? she thought. Hopefully this wasn't a futile act.

During her flight towards the island she came to understand something terrifying. The reason that the magic felt familiar was that she could feel it in the dark curse. Something in Regina's black magic came from this place. Blue's heart sank, had she come to a place filled with Regina's accomplices? But then why did the curse open a portal to come here? The Blue Fairy would soon get her answers.

The sun had risen over the horizon. In the distance she could see streaks of golden magic coming from the sky towards the island. This gave Blue some comfort. Perhaps that was where the fairies who lived here could find shelter from the darkness that Regina had unleashed.

Flying towards the island she saw thousands of fairies flying around. They looked different from her own kind. Rather than dressing in opulent fineries these fairies dressed in clothes made from leaves of various colors. At the center of this place was a huge tree, a sprawling maple where glowing dust poured from its branches. This was the source of magic she had felt on the other side. _ How did Regina find a way to bring it from here?_ she asked herself. Perhaps these fairies could provide the answers.

"Halt!" a soft, but forceful female voice called to her. It was a young woman with blonde hair and dressed in bold colors. Perhaps she was a royal guard, someone who could take Blue directly to the ruler of this land. "State your name and purpose," the blonde fairy asked.

"I am the Blue Fairy from the Enchanted Forest, a distant realm and I come bearing unhappy tidings," she said. "I bring a warning to your ruler, a dark curse is coming and threatens to destroy your home. You and everyone who lives here must leave this place immediately."

"Follow me to the presence of Queen Clarion, ruler of the Never Fairies," the guard stated. She turned and flew towards the giant tree. Blue followed her into one of the many expertly cut holes in the bark of the magical tree.

* * *

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, OCTOBER 2011

Emma Swan met a good looking man at a nice restaurant. She had come across him on an internet dating site and was impressed that his internet photo wasn't a fake. Of course, she already knew who he was, a man who had embezzled money, got arrested, was bailed out by his wife and then ran from the law, leaving his wife and children behind to pick up the pieces of his crimes. Ms. Swan was a bail bonds woman who had been tracking this low life and found him when he had set up an account on that internet dating site.

When he found out who she really was he tried to run, overturning the table and spilling champagne all over her sexy, tight fitting, rose colored dress. "Seriously?" she said of his lame attempt to escape. Of course, she knew people and had arranged for a boot to be placed on his car so he couldn't get away.

Emma strode confidently in her dress and platform high heel shoes across the street to where the bail jumper was trying to get away in his car. She had no reason to run since the vehicle wasn't going anywhere (not that she could in those ridiculous heels and slinky dress). When she caught to him he tried to bribe her. Emma replied that he should give it to his family, especially since it was his wife who paid for his bail.

"What do you know about family?" he asked. He was probably giving her some indication of how much he disliked his home life. But Emma didn't see it that way. She had no family. She had been in and out of the foster care system throughout her childhood and it had been a nightmare. His comment cut her deeply. So she responded by grabbing his head and bashing it into the steering wheel.

"Nothing," she answered, speaking to the man's unconscious form as it lay against the steering wheel.

On her way home she decided to celebrate her 28th birthday with a cupcake. She was alone tonight. This wasn't unusual for Emma. Just another in a long string of lonely nights and lonely birthdays with no friends, family or even parents to help her celebrate or keep her company. She lit the candle on the cupcake and before blowing it out made a simple wish: to not be alone tonight. It was answered in a way she could never have imagined.

There was a knock on the door of her apartment. Emma looked through the peephole and saw no one. She took her sidearm and held it at the ready behind her back. Carefully she opened the door and was a greeted by a fresh faced boy who, after confirming she was indeed Emma Swan, announced that he was her son. The boy she had given up for adoption ten years ago when she was barely eighteen and in jail for trying to sell stolen property.

She wanted to send him back home with the police, but he had worked this out pretty good. If she called the police he would tell them that Emma had kidnapped him. And since she was his birthmother they would probably believe him. Finally, Emma offered to take him home herself. She asked where he lived.

"Storybrooke, Maine," the young Henry replied.

"Storybrooke? Really?" she asked in disbelief. Emma changed into something more comfortable and less revealing (and appropriate for a long drive with a ten year old boy). The two left in Emma's old, yellow Volkswagen Beetle headed for Maine, a four hour road trip.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (Early Edwardian Era)

Viola, the summoner talent fairy, entered the queen's office at the Pixie Dust Tree.

"Yes, Viola," the queen said.

"Your Highness, there is a..., a rather unusual fairy who wishes to speak with you," she replied.

"Unusual? In what way?"

"She is dressed in blue and claims to come from another realm?"

"If you speak of a fairy from the Winter Woods, then this is not a funny joke," Clarion said, a tenseness in her voice.

"No, Your Highness," Viola said. "She says her name is the Blue Fairy and that she comes from a realm known as The Enchanted Forest."

"Very well, I will greet our visitor. Please summon the ministers, Viola." The queen stood from her desk and drifted into the audience chamber, donning her crown along the way, to properly receive her guest.

Viola entered the audience chamber ahead of Clarion and the four ministers of the seasons. She blew her summoner's trumpet and spoke. "Announcing Clarion, Queen of the Never Fairies and ruler of all Pixie Hollow."

When Queen Clarion entered the room she stopped cold, staring at the beautifully dressed fairy that fluttered directly in front of her. The visitor wore a delightful dress that flared out at the hips and featured streamers that hung from the hemline. She had brilliant diamonds set in a magnificent necklace and flowers punctuated her clothing. The visitors' wings were also stunning. She had four, long, full sized wings in the color of her dress. In one hand the visiting fairy carried a wand. Most unusual for fairies in this realm, but perhaps not for those in the realm where visitor originated.

**~O~**

The blue fairy stared back, amazed at the immaculately clothed regent. She wore a dress that appeared to be made of glowing fairy dust. It shimmered and the dust seemed to flow from the waist almost to the floor where it disappeared gracefully at the hemline. The visitor also was mesmerized by the towering, gold colored wings that looked like giant butterfly wings. They also glimmered as if made from fairy dust, or whatever these fairies called it. Within the wings were designs composed of swirls which added a lovely look and texture to the wondrous wings of the queen.

**~O~**

"Greetings weary traveler, please come forward and announce yourself," Clarion said, using the royal "we" in her salutation. "How may we assist you?"

The blue colored fairy bowed and then began to speak. "I bring a dire warning. The evil Queen Regina has unleashed a powerful dark curse which has destroyed my land and is presently invading your realm."

The four ministers gasped in horror.

"Why has this Queen Regina seen fit to destroy my world?" Clarion asked.

"She seeks revenge on all who have offended her. The dark spell will take any who are trapped by it and place them into a prison of time. All your futures will cease and your happy endings will never take place."

"No one here in Pixie Hollow has done anything to offend this Queen Regina," Clarion spoke. "None have even heard of the Enchanted Forest or Her Highness until today."

"Apparently someone has and the curse will find its way to your realm in two days' time. You should prepare to flee and find shelter," the fairy from the enchanted forest pleaded.

The four ministers quickly gathered around Queen Clarion to discuss their options.

"Should we believe her?" Hyacinth, the Minister of Spring asked. "Maybe she wants our home for herself and the others of her kind? This could all be a ruse."

"Don't be ridiculous," the Minister of Summer said, "why would they want our land? The pixie dust from our tree only works on fairies from Pixie Hollow. Did you not see her wand? She clearly has her own magic."

"Well I've certainly never seen her kind before," the Minister of Autumn said, "perhaps we should be cautious and wait."

"Wait for what?" Snowflake snapped. "For this curse to destroy us all?"

"Let us act prudently ministers," Clarion said.

The fairy queen turned to the enchanted fairy and said, "Thank you, Blue Fairy, you have served your purpose well. You may return to your home and we will take all appropriate action."

"I cannot return," she said. "A portal was needed to come to your realm which can only be made by an extremely rare magic. All magic there comes with a price. I knew my fate when I came here."

"Then you are truly brave," Clarion stated. Inwardly the queen was a bit worried. The Blue Fairy's statement that all magic comes at a price sounded vaguely familiar.

The enchanted fairy bowed and said, "Thank you, your highness. You are most kind and generous."

That is when the Hyacinth, the Minister of Spring, spoke up, "Can't you use your own magic to return to this Enchanted Forest?"

"I cannot," she said.

"Perhaps you can use some of our magic," Redleaf, the Minister of Autumn, suggested.

"Our magic and yours are not compatible," the Blue Fairy answered.

"Then how can this curse be of any threat to us in Pixie Hollow?" the Minister of Summer asked.

"Regina's magic is quite powerful," she said. "I feel within it the same magic that comes from this realm, this tree in fact"

"Yellow Pixie Dust?" Hyacinth chirped. "And how did she acquire it?"

"I do not know," she answered, "but my suspicions point to a creature known as The Dark One. Rumpelstiltskin."

The queen gasped in horror. "Please do not let this be true." Right then Clarion knew that her past sins had come back to haunt her. This meant that the threat was real and time was extremely short.

"Viola, summon all the guild supervisors to my presence immediately. We must plan our escape properly," Clarion directed. Immediately the summoner bowed and lit off to complete her mission.

"What?" the Minister of Spring asked rather startled. "You cannot possibly believe this nonsense."

"I know it to be true, do not ask me how, simply do as I say," the queen responded sharply.

"What shall we do your highness?" the Minister of Summer asked. "How can we all hope to escape in two days' time?"

"I can help," said a familiar, but not long heard voice. Into the audience chamber flew a tinker fairy not seen in Pixie Hollow for many seasons. Her one time romantic partner accompanied her. "Sorry, we were listening by the door."

"Tinker Bell," the queen said astonished. _Finally my lost tinker has understood the folly of running away with Peter Pan and returned home. Oh, but what a horrible time you have chosen._ Clarion then retracted her last thought realizing that Tinker Bell's return meant she could indeed help the fairies of Pixie Hollow escape such a horrid fate and that the little tinker would avoid her own imprisonment by the curse Queen Regina had unleashed.

**~O~**

The Blue Fairy recognized the name "Tinker Bell." So, Green, this is where you have come, she thought. Blue, however, was surprised to see another fairy flitter into the room, accompanied by a male of the species. The girl was dressed in a tiny green dress, possessed blonde hair which she kept up in a bun and had deep blue eyes. She was astonished that this fairy was so similar to her own Green Fairy who had taken the same name. This one, however, was different in some ways. She was younger looking, with an almost cherubic face.

"Hi," Tinker Bell greeted in a sweet voice.

"Hello," Blue answered. She stared disbelievingly at the little, green fairy and her companion. She wondered how two "Tinker Bells" could exist and why Regina was targeting these people.

**~O~**

"Can you build more balloon carriers?" the Queen Clarion asked.

"Of course," Tinker Bell said. "But I need to gather enough materials to carry what we need. And I'll need plenty of help."

"Then you shall have it," Clarion stated. "Ministers see to it that the guild supervisors send Tinker Bell whatever assistance she requires."

Then Clarion turned to the dust talent. "Terence, go to the Pixie Dust Depot and inform Fairy Gary to gather all the pixie dust into every empty container he can find, including all the remaining blue pixie dust from the Autumn Revelry that he can."

"Yes, your highness," the dust talent sparrow man said bowing. Terence then turned towards his ex-girlfriend and with a pensive tone in his voice said, "Fly with you later, Tink?"

"Fly with you later, Terence," she replied sadly before leaving for Tinker's Nook.

Clarion watched as Tinker Bell flitted off to her old work area, but she stopped and the queen knew why. The little fairy was watching as Terence made his way to the Pixie Dust Depot. Tinker Bell had left Pixie Hollow many seasons earlier after a long and public disintegration of her romantic relationship with Terence. She clearly still had feelings for him or the little tinker fairy would not have stopped in mid-flight to stare at her ex-boyfriend. It was obvious to the queen that Tinker Bell was pondering what was and what could have been.

Clarion turned back to her visitor to ask another question. "Can you help us, Blue Fairy?"

"I already have. Before coming to this island I cast a protection spell to prevent the curse from entering your realm. However, I must return to manage the spell or the curse will break through. I have enough magic to hold the spell in place for two days."

"Then we shall work tirelessly so your efforts will not be in vain," Clarion told Blue.

The Fairy Queen watched as her visitor flew off into the sky. Her eyes shifted from the visitor from another realm to the distant snowcapped mountains. Clarion's heart sunk. They had come so close, she and Lord Milori. They had been separated for such a long time before being reunited just a few years ago. She was so excited when Milori proposed to her. _I don't want us to wait any longer_, he told her. The announcement was met with great joy throughout the four seasons of Pixie Hollow.

The Blue Fairy's warning changed all of that. Once again duty to her people was going to keep her and Milori apart. After her meeting with the guild overseers Clarion would have to visit her lover and tell him the bad news. His heart was going to break. She knew this because her own heart was breaking, too.

* * *

**I had this idea all the way back in Season 1 but never got around to posting any of it. Yes, I am well aware that a Tinker Bell character exists in the Once Upon a Time universe. This story was almost never posted because of it, but I decided "what the heck, do it anyway." So I guess this means that come season 3 there will be two Tinker Bell characters running around Storybrooke. That should be fun.**

**Tell me what you think of it so far. I'll try to get more posted soon. (As if I don't already have enough stories to work on.) As always, thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**(Disney's) Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 1, Chapter 2**

* * *

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

It was late when Emma left Boston for Storybrooke. During the long ride Henry removed a large, leather bound book from his backpack. On the cover were the words Once Upon a Time. The words were carefully embossed, with the letters O, U and T especially so. The kid, as she called him, started flipping through it. He told her it was an important book. What she saw were just fairy tales. They weren't just fairy tales, they were real, Henry insisted. She dismissed his assertions, but Henry told her something very strange.

"You're in this book," he said.

"Kid, you've got problems," she answered.

"Yup, and you're going to fix them."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

Vidia was gathering pollen for the season when she saw something in the sky that caught her attention. It was Tinker Bell returning after all those seasons with Peter Pan.

"She has some nerve," Vidia said with anger in her voice. "After filling my head with thoughts of friendship and community she runs off with that human boy like we never mattered. Now she wants to come back as if it never happened? I'm going to give that arrogant tinker fairy a piece of my mind with a vortex chaser."

When Tinker Bell left, Vidia took it the hardest feeling betrayed and abandoned by the fairy that helped her to learn how to be a friend. She would revert to her previous isolationism and vicious cutting remarks even leaving the clique of close friends of which she had become part.

The fast flying fairy lit off and followed her one time friend towards Tinker's Nook ready to pounce with a vicious tongue lashing. "Hey, Traitor Bell, I have a few words for you and you won't like any of them."

Tinker Bell turned and saw the fast flyer racing towards her. Mixed emotions flooded the tinker fairy's heart. She was glad to see her old nemesis turned friend, but was heartbroken that she had left so suddenly. And now she had to give her the bad news.

"What do you think you are doing back here? You can't just slip back into our lives as if nothing happened, Tinker Bell." Vidia shouted even though the two were almost nose to nose.

"I'm sorry, Vidia," Tinker Bell tried to say.

"NO! You can't say you're sorry after what you did to all of us. Your little gang almost broke up, Silvermist nearly fell to pieces when you left and Periwinkle has never been the same. If you know what's good for you, what's good for all of us, you'll turn around and leave."

"We all have to leave, Vidia."

"No, _you_ have to…"

"Pixie Hollow is about to be destroyed."

Vidia was dumbstruck by this tinker fairy's declaration. "What are you talking about? No such thing is going to happen."

"Yes, it is," Tinker Bell said, sadness taking over her face. "I just came from the Pixie Dust Tree. An evil queen from a faraway place has let loose a curse that will destroy us all in two days unless we can evacuate."

"And you expect me to believe this because…?"

"Ask the queen yourself," Tinker Bell said sniffling and pouting.

"Okay, I will. And then I'll take you on a one way ride out of here." Just as Vidia was about to leave for the Pixie Dust Tree Tinker Bell called to her once more.

"Vidia, I'm sorry. Truly sorry. I should never have left. I want to make it up to you, but we just don't have the time."

The fast flyer gave the tinker fairy a huff of disapproval before zooming off towards the Pixie Dust Tree.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

As the swirling clouds enveloped her, Snow White clutched her heroic Prince Charming. He was the one who woke her from Regina's sleeping curse, he stood beside her as they overthrew Regina and freed the forest from her evil reign. And now he had given his life so that she and everyone in the Enchanted Forest could have a future. And that was what Snow focused on: the future.

They had visited the Dark One in his cell, a prison formed with fairy magic just to contain him. The Dark One informed Snow and Charming what Queen Regina's plan was. He also told them that it was their baby who was to be the savior. On her twenty-eight birthday, their baby would return and the final battle would begin. But everything with Rumpelstiltskin came with a price. In this case, he wanted their baby's name. Snow told him it was Emma.

The darkness surrounded her, the cackling of her stepmother, Queen Regina, filled the room along with the maelstrom. Snow was frightened, yet despite that fear she held within her heart boundless hope for the future.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

At the Pixie Dust Tree, Vidia saw several of the overseers gathered in the main audience chamber. Queen Clarion detailed what she had been told by The Blue Fairy.

Vidia gasped. Tinker Bell was telling the absolute truth. Pixie Hollow was about to be destroyed. Quickly the queen began giving instructions on how to proceed with an evacuation plan. Because of their speed some of the fast flyers were to help coordinate efforts. Wisp was entrusted with alerting Peter Pan and the Lost Boys and giving them instructions to notify all the other inhabitants of Never Land. And it all had to be done by tonight.

"Tonight? But that's impossible!" Vidia shouted.

"I know" the queen said quietly, "but it must be done. As early as tomorrow evening the curse could arrive in Pixie Hollow and destroy us all. Vidia, we are undertaking a huge task. An evacuation that would take an entire season is to be done in less than forty eight hours. _Impossible_ is no longer in our vocabulary."

The fast flyer was completely stunned by the Queen's orders. Vidia's mind boggled at the thought of the massive coordination effort, much less the evacuation itself. She turned again towards the fairy queen and in an uncharacteristic moment let all her egotistical dispositions fall aside and said, "What do you need me to do?"

Clarion was momentarily taken aback by Vidia's sudden willingness to assist, but was nonetheless glad that her best fast flyer was being so cooperative. "You must fly as quickly as possible to the mainland and find a suitable destination for us."

"What about the Griffith's summer house? It's situated near a summer camp and is surrounded by open fields."

"An excellent suggestion, Vidia," the queen replied most approvingly. "If they are willing to render aid, Lizzie and her father could also help to prepare for our arrival, allowing all of our resources to be devoted to the evacuation. Upon completion of this task you must return quickly to assist us with our efforts. Now, leave at once, my dear, all the fairies and sparrow men of Pixie Hollow are depending on you."

Vidia flew out of the tree and went to the Pixie Dust fall in the tree. She filled her bag of pixie dust and even sprinkled some on herself directly from the falling stream. It was against the rules, but this was an emergency unparalleled in scale and required extreme measures. The dark haired flyer shot off towards the mainland, but stopped a moment later. Instead she turned and rocketed towards Tinker's Nook.

Seconds later she arrived at the tinker's workshops and found it bustling with so much activity it was hard to find the one person she needed to locate. "Tinker Bell," she yelled out.

"Tinker Bell, where are you?" she tried again. She looked and looked, but couldn't wait much longer. Getting to the mainland was too important to waste so much time.

"Over here!" the tinker fairy shouted. Tink waved at Vidia to get her attention and instantly the fast flyer was face to face with her.

"I'm sorry, Tink. You were right about the end of Pixie Hollow," Vidia said trying desperately to get out the words she needed to say. "I…, I'm glad you're back." Vidia turned to leave, but she felt something grab her hand. Tinker Bell pulled her into a warm and friendly embrace and the tinker began sniffling and crying. Vidia almost began to cry herself, but tried not to.

"Thanks, Vidia. I just wish we had more time so I could make things right with you," Tink whispered.

"You don't have to," Vidia whispered back. The two separated and Vidia flew off towards the mainland, pushing herself harder than she ever had before.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It was late at night when Emma's beat up, old Beetle drove into the seaside town. It was a quiet place with nice homes, white picket fences and locally owned businesses. It had the feel of small town America. Emma asked where Henry lived, but he adamantly refused give an answer. She was so angry with him that she slammed on the brakes in the middle of the rain slicked street and jumped out of her car.

She looked up at the clock tower which sat atop the town's public library.

"Look it's been a long night and it's almost... eight fifteen?"

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life," Henry said after exiting the vehicle. "Time's frozen here."

Emma was taken aback by his words. He explained that it was the evil queen's curse. She had brought fairy tale characters from the Enchanted Forest and they were now trapped, frozen in time in Storybrooke, Maine.

"Really? That's what you're going with?" Emma replied completely unwilling to believe him.

Henry also told her that no one could leave town, if they try bad things happened to them. Emma got directions to Henry's house by a man walking his dog. It turned out that Henry was the mayor's son. The helpful man was Archie, Henry's psychologist.

"He doesn't seem cursed to me," Emma said.

Archie didn't know he was cursed, no one in Storybrooke knew who they were. Archie, Henry said, was really Jiminy Cricket. Emma wasn't sure if Henry was crazy or just had a very vivid imagination, but the whole thing seemed just too weird.

* * *

LONDON, ENGLAND

Vidia landed on the window sill of the Griffith's London home with a thud. She was out of breath and nearly exhausted. Vidia was the fastest fast flyer in all of Pixie Hollow and she loved to push herself as fast as she could. Today, though, she flew faster than she ever had before. The wind would usually whistle in her ears when she took flight, today it screamed. And for the first time in her life she cursed her long ponytail because it slowed her down.

It took Vidia a few moments to catch her breath. No one was in the house, which mean that Dr. Griffiths was at his office and Lizzy was in school. Lizzy would be surrounded by children and adults and the fairy could be easily detected by any of them. Besides, Lizzy had no authority to offer the summer house to them. Her father, though, did. After a few moments she took flight again and went to find Dr. Griffiths.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

When the yellow bug pulled up to the large mansion where the mayor lived, Henry begged not to be left at the house. He claimed that he only had a mother and she was evil. She didn't love him, she only pretended to.

"Kid," Emma said worriedly, "I'm sure that's not true." Emma never had parents and in her mind the boy had no idea how good he had it.

Mayor Regina Mills, a woman with shoulder length dark hair greeted the boy, taking him into her arms. A man was at the house, as well. He was smartly dressed with a neat beard and a badge on his shirt. No doubt the local police.

"Henry, where have you been?" Mayor Mills asked, quite worried.

"I found my real mom," Henry yelled angrily before running into the house. Regina was rather stunned by his announcement.

"You're his birth mother?" she asked.

"Hi," Emma replied with a sheepish smile.

Mayor Mills offered Emma some apple cider, but after the day she had Emma wanted something a little stronger. Regina poured the woman a stiff drink and they two spoke for a few moments. Regina was worried that Emma might want to be part of Henry's life again, but she was just here to drop him off. Regina described how hard it was to be the mayor and a single mom, describing it has like having two full time jobs. She was strict with Henry because she wanted the best for him.

"That doesn't make me evil, does it?" Regina asked Ms. Swan.

Emma admitted that he probably got the idea from his book of fairy tales. For Regina, this was the first she had heard of this book. Ms. Swan told her how Henry thought everyone in town was a character from those fairy tales.

When she left, Emma didn't have a very good feeling in the pit of her stomach. She turned and saw Henry peering out at her from his bedroom window. But she didn't want to be a part of his life and he a good place to live. She got back into her old VW Beetle and headed back towards Boston. On the road out of town she noticed that Henry left his book of fairy tales in her car.

"Sneaky bastard," she whispered to herself. The boy knew she would have to turn around and go back. Just then Emma looked up and saw a wolf standing in the middle of the road. She swerved to avoid it and crashed into the town's historic sign that read _Welcome to Storybrooke_.

* * *

THE WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND

In the Winter Woods Lord Milori was inspecting snowflakes for the coming winter season. "Excellent work, everyone. You have truly outdone yourselves," he said complimenting the snowflake fairies who fashioned the delicate sculptures of ice crystals. "This year's winter season promises to be the most beautiful in some time."

"Thank you, Lord Milori," the snowflake fairies replied.

Gliss, a frost fairy who was stationed at the border between warm and winter today rushed towards the snowflake factory. Her normally cheerful demeanor was different today, she looked frightened and desperate. "Lord Milori, Lord Milori," she called out to him.

"What is it, Gliss? Why aren't at the border?" he asked her.

She flew to him and in a hushed tone told him, "Queen Clarion is at the bridge. She must speak with you immediately. She says we have to evacuate Never Land immediately."

Confused by what Gliss told him, Milori jumped onto his trusted mount, a snow owl with a jeweled necklace and sped off towards the bridge where the animals and warm fairies crossed into the winter region of Pixie Hollow. Gliss stayed at his side, worried by what little she already knew.

At the crossing he saw the Queen in all her regal splendor, but as he approached he could see how frightened she was. "My queen, what seems to bother you this day?" Milori said dismounting his owl.

"We must evacuate Pixie Hollow and leave the island of Never Land," she replied with a tremble in her voice.

"Why? What has happened?"

Clarion explained the terrible cursed spell that Queen Regina had released in a distant realm that would soon find its way to the Hollow. In as much detail as she could, Clarion told him what would happen to their beloved home and to anyone who was not safely away when the curse was to arrive in two days' time.

"You must gather your winter fairies and leave this place as soon as possible," she said desperately. "You can head north to the frozen mainland there."

"We cannot leave this place," Milori told her matter-of-factly. "It is still summer and the temperatures beyond the winter woods are too warm for us to survive. Our wings will break and all the winter fairies will fall into the sea and drown. We have no choice but to stay."

Clarion gasped in horror. She had not considered this when racing to the border to warn the love of her life. She was going to lose him a second time. Tears began to well in her eyes as she spoke. "Can you use the balloon carriers that Tinker Bell has devised for us? Then you won't…"

"It is still too warm for our winter wings," Milori said, cutting her off. "The weather will still be too warm for us to survive. Save your people. Save yourself, my dearest Ree."

"I can't… I can't leave you here."

"What's this?" Milori saw another fairy careening through the Autumn Woods as fast as her wings could carry her.

"Queen Clarion. Lord Milori. I have an idea," Tinker Bell yelled as she reached the border bridge where her wings first sparkled all those seasons ago, which lead to the discovery of her fraternal sister, Periwinkle. The little tinker fairy was dressed in her winter clothes and was carrying several rolled sheets of paper.

"What is it, Tinker Bell?" Clarion asked trying to wipe the tears from her eyes and face.

"Ice gondolas," the tinker fairy announced unspooling several pages with designs. "It occurred to me that winter fairies won't be able to fly out of here because it's still too warm outside of Never Land. So I came up with a design for ice gondolas that can be fitted to the balloon carriers."

"The ice will melt too quickly for us to reach any serviceable destination." Milori said, but the energized little tinker wasn't about to give up so easily.

"Not with this design. See?" she said showing the pages to the two leaders. "First we use reeds to create a form. Then we use grasses, hay or even pine needles for structural integrity of the ice. We add in some maple syrup and sawdust from Tinker's Nook, mix it all into the water to create sludge and then the glacier fairies can freeze it into a gondola form. The ice won't melt for weeks; you'll have plenty of time to sail north."

"And the ice from the gondolas will provide enough cold temperatures to keep our wings from breaking," Milori finished. "What a brilliant idea."

"Tinker Bell, begin immediately," Clarion said. "I will have Fairy Mary continue overseeing the construction of the Balloon Carriers on our side."

"Flitterific!" Tinker Bell yelled out. "Rosetta and the garden fairies have already started collecting everything we need to make the forms and sludge. They will have several bunches here at the log bridge in a couple of hours."

"I'll post winter fairies at the border to receive the materials," Milori added.

Tinker Bell flitted across the border where Gliss frosted the tinker fairy's wings. With that done Tinker Bell zipped off to the Frost Forest to enlist the aid of Periwinkle and the other winter fairies.

"May we speak privately, Gliss," Milori asked the frost fairy. She fluttered back out of earshot. Milori turned to face his beautiful love.

"I won't see you again, will I?" Clarion said, this realization setting in. If the warm fairies went to the mainland of England while the winter fairies went north towards the distant lands of Norway or Iceland Clarion and Milori would once again be separated, only this time permanently.

"If Pixie Hollow is to be destroyed with no hope of restoring it, then this is indeed goodbye forever," he told her, with a great sadness in his voice. He had spoken the words "goodbye forever" before, but both were overjoyed when after many centuries those words turned out to be false. This time however, there seemed to be no way to render these words meaningless.

_If I could I would wish all this away just for you, my lovely Ree_, he wanted to tell her. _I would sacrifice myself a thousand times over just to keep you and your fairies safe if that is what it required._ But he could not bring himself to say such fantasies because they would change nothing of their present situation. These would be their last moments together for all eternity.

Clarion and Milori stared into each other's eyes longingly, desiring at least one more day to be with each other. To share each other's love, but it was not to be. "I will never forget you, my dearest love," he said to her, "you will always be in my heart."

"And you will always be in my heart, my beloved Milori," she replied. "We may be separated, but our love will never perish."

He took her beautiful face in his hands, wiping a tear away with his thumb. The lord of winter drew his queen close to him and they kissed their last kiss. A gentle, loving, but passionate goodbye said not with words. Their fears and anxieties instead communicated through the trembling of their lips.

Finally Clarion slowly began to back away, she had so many responsibilities and they could not wait a second longer. As his hands fell from her lovely face they slid down her arms and into her hands. There they held each other a moment longer before Clarion and Milori finally had to let go and he watched as she started back to the Pixie Dust Tree.

Milori stayed at the bridge as the loveliest woman he had ever known and desired slipped away. He kept his gaze on her as she drifted further and further away until she was little more than a glint of light in the distance. The lord of winter stayed perhaps unwilling to move. Or perhaps simply to make one last memory of Clarion, one that he hoped, prayed, pleaded would not fade over time.

_How can this happen again?_ he asked himself. _How can our love be so ill fated that we shall always be parted, to never know a happy ending?_ Unbeknownst to the lord of winter that was the very point of the curse; to take away everyone's happily ever after.

* * *

**Whew, that was a lot of writing. I'm putting in a good deal of the first episode to help set up the story for those unfamiliar with the tv show. Further chapters won't go into such much detail about the episodes as I will be focusing on the stories of the fairies who are trapped in Storybrooke.**

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading. Please tell me what you think in a review. I would really like to hear from you.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke  
****A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover  
Season 1, Episode 1, Chapter 3**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma woke to the sound of whistling. When she opened her eyes she was in a jail cell. In the cell next to her was a short, stout man who was the source of the whistling. He wore a work shirt with the name "Leroy" embroidered on it. He gave off the distinct odor of alcohol. Outside of the jail cell was an older man in a work uniform. He spoke with a distinct European accent. His name was Marco she learned from the conversation he had with her and Leroy. Then the sheriff came into the stationhouse with a girl in hand.

"Okay, sit down," the sheriff told her with his distinct Irish brogue. "I've already called your mother and she'll be here any minute to pick you up."

The girl, Emma judged, was probably in her late teens or early 20's, her raven hair was pulled back in a ponytail that hung down to her shoulder blades. She was dressed entirely in black. She also sported several piercings in her nose, lips, cheeks, eyebrows and ears. When told that her mother was coming over to pick her up the girl just huffed at him and crossed her arms in disgust.

Emma didn't understand why the mother was being called to the station. This girl was over eighteen and parents were no longer legally responsible. _Maybe that is just how things are in this town_, Emma thought. Family just stuck close together. It reminded her how much she hated her own parents. They had left her on the side of the highway as an infant, like a piece of trash to be thrown away.

"You don't know how lucky you are to have a mother who still cares about you," Emma told the girl.

"Oh please," she replied cynically in a smoky voice. Emma saw another piercing on her tongue.

"Good, you're awake," the sheriff said when he heard Emma's voice. "Regina's drinks are stronger than you thought," he continued with the explanation that she had crashed into the town's historic sign as a result of drinking and driving. Emma told him that she had seen a wolf in the road, but the sheriff didn't believe her, wolves didn't live in or near Storybrooke.

Regina stormed into the Sheriff's Office, "Graham?" She caught site of Emma in the jail cell. "What is _she_ doing here?"

Regina refocused on what was important, Henry had run away again. Emma asked if he had any friends who might have taken him in. She was pained to learn that Henry had no friends. He was a lonely child. In her job as a bail bondswoman she had become particularly adept at finding people who didn't want to be found. Emma offered to help find him in exchange being let out of the jail cell.

Just as the trio were about to leave the Sheriff's Office, a woman that Emma judged to be in her mid-forties came into the jailhouse. She was rather tall, had honey brown hair and fair skin with eyes as blue as sapphires. Dressed in work jeans and a plaid flannel shirt, the woman wore a ball cap that read Kensington General Contracting. She was accompanied by a blonde, teenaged girl with a cherubic face and who also possessed the same blue eyes as her mother.

"There you are," the woman said to the young, dark haired girl Graham had brought in earlier. "I'm sorry, Sheriff. I just don't know what's gotten into her lately."

"That's okay, Mrs. Kensington, just don't let it happen again," Graham told her.

"How much is bail?" the Kensington woman asked, looking terribly worried.

"Valerie's not under arrest, The Rabbit Hole just asked me to remove her from the premises," Graham answered. "She was hustling pool players for money. I thought I should let you know."

Mrs. Kensington glared at the raven haired girl as Graham spoke. "Thank you, Sheriff. It won't happen again."

"Your daughter can't seem to keep herself out of trouble, Claire," Mayor Mills growled. "Maybe you need to keep a closer eye on her."

The bitter irony was not lost on Emma.

"Valerie is an adult, Madam Mayor," Sheriff Graham informed her.

"Well, it seems like you did a bang up job raising her," Regina snarled at Claire. She looked at the little blonde girl standing behind her mother. "I hope your other one doesn't turn out the same way."

"Yes, Mayor Mills, I mean, no, Mayor Mills, Tina won't. What I mean is…" Claire tried to answer, looking every bit cowed by the glaring Regina.

"Well, what _do_ you mean?" Regina said angrily.

"Valeria hasn't been the same since her father died," Claire answered. "She's taken it very hard."

That's when Regina went nose to nose with the mother. "Her father died eight years ago, she needs to get over herself. Now the next time Valerie pulls that kind of stunt I'll have the Sheriff throw her in jail. Maybe then she'll straighten up."

"I understand," Claire said, her eyes looking down at the floor.

As Emma, Sheriff Graham and Regina left the station, Ms. Swan watched as the visibly shaken widowed mother of two took her daughters to an old, weather beaten work truck. Its bed was filled with tools for home construction and repair. The company name which was stenciled on the door had faded badly, but it was still readable. She could see Claire practically having to drag Valerie by the arm to the truck and then beg her to get in.

"You were pretty harsh with her, weren't you?" Emma asked Regina.

"I've been a mother for ten years, how long have you been a mother? Oh, that's right, none," Regina answered hotly. "I know a bad mother when I see one, Ms. Swan, and Claire isn't going to win any awards in this lifetime."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVERLAND

Queen Clarion and Fairy Mary were busy overseeing the coordination and preparations for the evacuation of Pixie Hollow. Problems arose almost from the start. Once word got out what was to happen, every guild started bucking to be the first off the island. Each one tried to make an argument for why their guild should be first.

The dust keepers insisted that pixie dust had to be delivered to the new site for the colony so everyone could fly and use their talents properly. The cooking and baking talents insisted that food would be necessary to feed everyone who was to establish the new colony, so they should go first. The animal fairies argued that saving their animal friends was most important, while the garden fairies wanted to move their seeds as soon as possible to start new gardens right away. The fast flyers wanted to move their pollen off the island swiftly. The water fairies claimed it was necessary to establish water resources for cooking, bathing and drinking. These were all strong and legitimate arguments.

The queen and Fairy Mary started out by setting priorities based on need. First, a new Pixie Dust Tree had to be established. Zarina explained that while the existing maple could not be converted, a new Pixie Dust Tree could be grown on site. She and her alchemy students and a few garden fairies were given top priority.

Second, a governmental body needed to be formed to ensure chaos and anarchy did not ensue. Sunflower, the Minister of Summer was tapped along with her staff to do just that.

Third, food and water would be needed to feed everyone who would be working to receive shipments. The cooking and baking guild was split into three groups, one to stay and cook here, a second to pack up their guild for transport and a third group would go to the mainland to erect a new kitchen to feed the fairies working there. A contingent of water fairies was to accompany them to design an aqueduct system that would transport the needed water to the kitchens, baths, and to the new Pixie Dust Depot.

Lastly, a small group from each major talent group would go an ahead to receive shipments from their respective guilds. A new colony could not be built in a day; much of what was to be airlifted would quickly go into storage for the time being. However, everything being shipped was sensitive and had to be handled by those who were familiar with it so nothing would be lost.

The massive airlift operation was being staged by the shore in Springtime Square. Doves were readied with satchels and knapsacks. The first fairies in the group quickly loaded down the birds with all the essentials to perform their assigned duties on the mainland. The first of the balloon carriers arrived and were filled with as much pixie dust as was currently available. Any bird or carrier with room to spare was given the task of taking much needed food, seeds or pollen as could be added. All they lacked was a destination.

**~O~**

THE WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND

Lord Milori was busy making the same kinds of evacuation preparations with the assistance of Snowflake, the Minister of Winter. Two of his dust keepers were students of Zarina's school of Pixie Dust Alchemy and left immediately to establish a new Pixie Dust Tree.

It was decided that the Faroe Islands north of Ireland was the best compromise between a cold weather settlement and nearness to England. The Faroe Islands had a subarctic climate, just cold enough for the Winter Fairies to survive if they found a place high atop a mountain where the air was cooler. Milori and Snowflake still had the responsibility of bringing the winter season to the mainland and the Faroe Islands would be close enough for them to do that. Furthermore, the Shetland Islands lay in between which could be used as an emergency landing spot if it were ever necessary.

Milori couldn't visit Queen Clarion from there, but perhaps the Minister of Winter could deliver letters to her whenever the winter fairies traveled to the England. As he thought about this possibility, he remembered all the grand moments he had here with his beloved Ree. Their first date occurred by the shores of the frozen lake. The couple took many owl rides over the mountains. It was atop one of them where he showed his love the luminous Aurora Borealis. And then there was the Lord of Winter's retreat where he once took the queen. It was there that they shared a more _intimate_ moment.

He sighed, this was his home and he would miss it terribly. He would miss Clarion even more.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

To find Henry's trail Emma checked his computer, but the boy was smart. He cleared out the email inbox and deleted his browsing history. Regina thought this was another dead end, but Emma was smarter than a ten year old. She resorted to her thumb drive. She plugged it into the USB port on Henry's computer and let the recovery utility on the portable drive work its magic.

Whenever a Windows based operating system saves data to a hard drive it breaks it up into small blocks and stores them where ever it can find free space. To remember where of these blocks are located, the OS creates a file table pointing to every block on the drive. When a user deletes a file, Windows simply deletes the pointers in the file table, but it does not erase the actual data. It remains in blocks marked as free space until they are over written by new data. Emma's data recovery utility searched for that kind of "erased" information.

Searching through Henry's browsing history she found a website he had visited which helped adopted children find their birth mothers. It was pretty expensive, too.

"Henry has a credit card?" Emma asked Regina.

"He's ten," the woman replied coldly.

"Well, he used one." Emma opened the payment receipt and found that the card Henry used was issued to one Mary Margaret Blanchard. Ms. Blanchard was Henry's school teacher.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

A streak of pixie dust shot through the trees and crash landed on the ground at the queen's feet. It broke Clarion from her worries and guilt laden self-loathing. The figure that emerged from the dirt and dust was Vidia, her fastest fast flyer. She was coughing and gasping for breath. Two of the queen's helpers assisted Vidia to a place free from the dust and where she could sit to regain her breath. The queen looked at the fast flyer with apprehension. Vidia gave her queen a smile and an affirming nod, nothing else needed to be said. The Griffiths had offered their summer home to the fairies.

When Tinker Bell made accidental First Contact with the girl, Lizzy Griffiths, Vidia was sure it would be disaster for the fairies of Never Land. Instead it proved to be a wonderfully beneficial friendship that was now paying off in unexpected ways. Clarion flew up into the air to gather the attention of those who were working to evacuate the island.

"Fairies!" Clarion shouted over the racket they made. "Fairies please!"

Quickly the chatter died down.

"Vidia has returned with joyous news," Clarion announced. "The Griffiths have graciously opened their doors to us. We have a new home."

The crowd cheered with a reinvigorating sense of hope. At the queen's signal the first squadron of doves laden with food and pixie dust launched into the air. They made their bearing for the mainland, the Minister of Summer leading the way. Joining the doves were hundreds of fairies taking wing. They all carried at least something needed. Several balloon carriers loaded to their max capacity were right behind. Queen Clarion smiled a bit when the birds took flight. She smiled until she realized that soon they were all to become refugees from their own home. Yet another reminder of her mistakes come back to haunt her.

**~O~**

When Vidia had recovered from her journey she flew inland to rejoin her guild. Flying over she noticed, as expected, that all the guilds were working feverishly to evacuate the island. What struck her as odd was that members of other guilds were mixed in with the Tinkers, Garden, Animal, Light and Water talents. Pixie Hollow was home to several major and minor talent guilds. Some talents like the spiderweb-untanglers, tree bark grading, fern spotting, dandelion fluffing, hole-in-cheese punching and the fairies who tucked you in at night and read stories to help you get to sleep had little or nothing to do. They were assigned to help with other guilds who had too much work and not enough manpower.

Members of more than two dozen minor talents were seen at Tinker's Nook helping to build balloon carriers or deliver newly made baskets, satchels and knapsacks to the staging area. The garden fairies also benefited with extra hands to lighten their own heavy load as they gathered seeds and collected materials for Tinker Bell's balloon carriers and ice gondolas.

When Vidia arrived at the pollen gardens, she found every available member of her talent guild gathering as much pollen as they could. On the paths below, members of minor guilds were loading up mouse carts with the filled pollen pots. It was all so disconcerting to her, but nothing slowed her down. She zipped right into place and started gathering pollen with the rest of her guild mates.

* * *

STOREYBROOK, MAINE

Ms. Blanchard was teaching her class how to build birdhouses. She told them that they were free and that the houses were for the birds to nest.

"They're loyal creatures," she said releasing a bluebird back out into the yard where it happily entered a birdhouse hanging in the nearby tree. "If you love them and they love you, they will always find you."

Just as class was letting out, Mayor Mills stormed into the room and confronted Mary Margaret Blanchard.

"Did you give Henry your credit card so he can find the woman who gave him up for adoption?" Regina asked in a shrill voice, motioning to Emma.

Ms. Blanchard had no idea what the mayor was talking about. She checked her pocket book and found that her credit card was missing. Henry had stolen it from her when she wasn't looking. "Clever boy," Ms. Blanchard whispered to herself. "I should never have given him that book."

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Regina asked harshly.

The book was a collection of fairy tales. Henry was a smart and creative boy who was very lonely. Ms. Blanchard felt he needed it. Regina answered that what Henry needed was a firm grip on reality. The mayor turned and walked out, angry. "Have a nice trip back to Boston," she snapped to Emma while knocked some books off a table.

Helping Ms. Blanchard, Emma was told that this book helped give Henry a sense of hope for the future. A belief in happy endings that he desperately needed. As an adopted child, Ms. Blanchard said, he wrestled with the question of why his parents gave him up.

"I'm so sorry," Mary Margaret gasped, as it dawned on her to whom she was speaking. "I don't mean to judge."

Actually, Emma could relate, it was a question she had asked herself nearly every day.

"You know where he is, don't you?" Emma asked.

Mary Margaret had a good idea. Henry could probably be found at his "castle."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

Throughout the day and well into the night, a steady stream of doves, fairies and balloon carriers shipped every bit of Pixie Hollow, piece by piece from Never Land Island to the meadow in front of the Griffiths' summer home. Dr. Griffiths took a few sick days to help the fairies arrive and settle in. He even provided a nice surprise, two tables full of sweets, bread and fruit so that the fairies could eat and keep up their strength. Lizzy provided fairy sized servings of tea. The black tea normally consumed by the English had the added benefit of caffeine, a stimulant that kept fairy wings flying and their minds sharp.

**~O~**

Early the next morning, with the sun just peeking out over the horizon, more doves were ready to take to the skies from Springtime Square. They had worked long hours throughout the day and night to deliver as much as they possibly could to the mainland in the short time they had. Now the birds would take animal carriers.

"Here you go," Fawn said leading one of the mice into the carrier which had been made from a hollowed out gourd. The mouse, named Cheese by the fairies, hopped in and Fawn secured the door behind him. "There, all safe and sound." Fawn nuzzled the frightened little mouse for comfort. She did the same at the next animal carrier where Cheese's close friend, Cheddar was being loaded. The two saw each other and squeaked. _See you on the other side_, they were saying.

At the signal, the birds launched into the air. Most of the animals were not particularly worried, they had made this trek several times before, usually during the summer season when they went to camp. Cheese, however, was very nervous. These birds were not rested, they were exhausted. And rumors spread that some of the doves were dying mid-flight from that exhaustion.

Cheddar, who was close by wasn't worried at all. He gave an approving nod to Cheese and even seemed to be enjoying the ride. Cheese was worried for his friend, his bird looked particularly frazzled. Then the little heart that beat within the bird carrying Cheese burst. It was dead instantly. Cheddar, who had been carefree during the flight watched in horror as his best friend plummeted into the unforgiving waters below. Cheddar made it to the mainland, but he was inconsolable after that.

**~O~**

Word got back to the queen that some of the doves had fallen out of the sky with their cargo. The birds were dying from being overworked through the day and night, flying back and forth nonstop with only very short breaks for food and water. One report said that a bird with an animal carrier fell into the waters not far from Never Land. No survivors were found.

Queen Clarion acknowledged this and mourned the loss of the poor animals. "Please, say nothing to the animal fairies. They do not need the distraction," she told the scout who made the report.

The queen never once looked worried, she maintained a veneer of calm and regal composure. She was the very model of strength and self-control. Clarion knew that if the queen remained confident so would everyone else.

Inside, though, her stomach twisted in knots. How could she possibly know that a small error in judgment made so long ago would lead to this catastrophe? With most of her fairies either on the mainland or in transit, Clarion took a moment to return to the Pixie Dust Tree claiming she needed to gather her own things for when she left that evening.

In truth, Clarion could no longer maintain the artifice of a strong and confident leader when she was tormented by so much guilt. She went into her bedchamber and closed the door. Clarion looked into the mirror at her own reflection, but what she actually saw was a queen who had failed miserably to protect her people. Pixie Hollow was at an end, Never Land would likely be destroyed, and the Indians, Lost Boys, pirates and the cannibals who all lived on the island were displaced. And she had lost her lover, Lord Milori, forever. She stared into the mirror and told herself, "This is all my fault."

Her face twisted from the shame of it all, tears streamed down her cheeks, her mouth crinkled into a frown and she fell onto the floor, sobbing at what she had wrought.

* * *

**Well now you've gotten a quick glimpse of some of the Disney Fairies in their Storybrooke identities. For those keeping score: **

**Claire Kensington = Queen Clarion**

**Valerie Kensington = Vidia**

**Tina Kensington = Tinker Bell**

**I chose the name Kensington because of its importance in the Peter Pan mythology. I hope you liked that little touch.**

**I'll introduce a few more Disney Fairies later. I'm working on Chapter four which will be the last for episode one. I hope you have been enjoying this "episode" so far, please leave a review letting me know what you think. **

**Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 1, Chapter 4**

* * *

THE PIXIE DUST TREE. PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

Clarion's four helpers found her crumpled on the floor, weeping uncontrollably. They rushed to her side and helped to the bed.

"My queen, what ails you?" Cinda asked.

Clarion turned away from them. She could not allow even her personal helpers to see her this way.

"I'm sorry. I have… I have failed all of you. I have lost my strength."

"No, my queen, you have not," Lisel answered.

"In your more than thousand year reign, you have endured more heartbreak and horrors than any other queen in Pixie Hollow history," Grace told her. "Throughout it all you have been our pillar, our shining star. No fairy would blame you for a moment of release. You deserve it more than any of us."

Clarion smiled through her tears. "Thank you, Grace. I am fortunate to have such loyal and wise helpers."

"It is our pleasure to serve you, Your Highness" Rhia answered.

"Why don't you gather your personal effects and prepare to evacuate on the next transport to the mainland," the queen instructed.

"We shall remain at your side till the very last," Grace said defiantly.

The queen felt her heart grow stronger. "Thank you."

**~O~**

When the four helpers exited her room, Rhia seemed distraught.

"What is it?" Grace asked her.

"If the queen can no longer cope, then all is lost," Rhia answered.

"Our queen has a formidable constitution," Cinda told her, "but she is not made of stone. Even Queen Clarion needs a shoulder to cry on once in a while. Do not worry, our beloved regent will not fail us. She will recover and be our beacon of hope once more."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma found Henry at "his castle." It was an old, wooden playhouse on the beach. Henry believed that things would change in Storybrooke once Emma arrived. That she would be the savior and the final battle would begin.

"I'm not fighting any battles kid," Emma told him. But Henry insisted that this was her destiny, to bring back everyone's happy endings. Emma dismissed him rather rudely. Henry told her she didn't need to push him away. He understood why Emma gave him up. To give him a better chance. It was the same reason Snow White gave her up.

"I'm not the savior and I'm not in any book," Emma insisted, but he was right about one thing. She did want a better life for him and she reminded Henry that his adopted mother was doing the best she could.

"Please don't take me back there, my life sucks," Henry pleaded. Emma told him how bad she had it growing up. She was left on the side of the freeway by her birth parents who did not even have the decency to take her to a hospital. She had a foster family until she was three years old when they had a child of their own. Then they sent her back into the system. Emma spent most of her childhood in and out of foster homes. Many of those homes took her in only because of the money they were paid to do so. At least Henry had a real home and real mother.

The boy told Emma that her parents did not leave her on the side of the freeway like she thought. She had come to this world through a magic wardrobe, a portal from the Enchanted Forest where she was born. The side of the highway was where Emma had come through as a baby. Emma Swan thought he was crazy and took him home. He pleaded for her to stay, at least one week so he could prove he wasn't. Emma just wanted to go back to her old life.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

It was mid-afternoon of the second day, the curse would be here soon. Rosetta, the garden fair who had fallen in love with Sled, the winter animal sparrow man, could barely contain her grief. Like the queen she was going to be separated from the man she loved so dearly. Ro had spent the last two days working harder than she ever had before, gathering all that her garden fairies would need to establish a new Pixie Hollow on the mainland. In spite of it all, her mind kept going back to Sled and how much she would miss him.

Rosetta and her friends Silvermist, the water talent fairy; Fawn, the animal fairy; Iridessa, the light talent fairy; and Vidia, the fast flyer were waiting for the next squadron of doves to return from the mainland so they could load them with more cargo. When the birds arrived, the small group of friends and the many other fairies and sparrow men who were in Springtime Square leapt into action. They hustled animals, insects and arachnids of every type into satchels and carriers. More dust arrived from the depot and was poured into pots which were loaded into returning balloon carriers. The small band of fairies were working like a well-oiled machine. The turnaround was swift and the birds, balloon carriers and fairies took flight back to the mainland.

During this time Rosetta quietly debated in her head what she should do. Going to the mainland meant she would be surrounded by her closest friends, her guild and a temperate climate that was suitable for a warm weather fairy. However, in all likelihood she might never see her boyfriend again. On the other hand, going with the winter fairies meant being with Sled, but she would be confined to a wintery climate and separated from her guild and her closest friends. Rosetta also risked losing her wings if they were not frosted at all times or kept covered in a winter coat. At least she would always be with the man she loved so much.

No matter what she decided, Rosetta would have to leave people she cared about behind. This was the most heartbreaking moment of her life.

OFF THE COAST OF NEVER LAND ISLAND

The Blue Fairy was running low on fairy dust. Regina's dark curse was pushing through her protection spell and the sun was still high. Blue put as much of her magic as she could into the spell to reinforce it, but she doubted it would last much longer.

She looked back at the island in the distance. She was working out in her head how it was that there were two Tinker Bell fairies. Her own Green Fairy, who apparently preferred that name over her given one, and the cherubic young creature who lived here.

While contemplating this conundrum she saw an old sailing ship leaving the island. It flew the Skull and Crossbones. It looked vaguely familiar to her. Not unlike the ship that Killian Jones captained. Then she spied a young boy dressed in green flying over and away from the island. A handful of other young boys followed him. She recognized the one in green as Peter Pan. The others were probably The Lost Boys. At first, she was afraid. Pan was an evil creature with very powerful dark magic. That is when it dawned on her that this island was Never Land. But it was nothing like the Never Land she had heard about.

Blue deduced that she had not crossed into another realm from her own reality, but into a parallel reality. An entirely different universe where duplicate realms existed. The Blue Fairy was the most powerful fairy in her own realm and leader of the other fairies. Queen Clarion must be her equivalent in this place. This was the most logical conclusion that explained how two similar, yet vastly different Tinker Bells could exist.

Either Regina or Rumpelstiltskin must have duped someone here into giving them some of their Pixie Dust so the dark curse could come into this world and destroy this duplicate Never Land. Now the only question that remained was why.

WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND

Tinker Bell finished her work in the cold season. The last of the ice gondolas had been frozen and were being fastened to balloon carriers made with materials from the warm seasons.

"Thank you," Milori told the young tinker. "You've served your queen well and have saved thousands of fairies."

She bowed. "Thank you, Lord Milori, but I was also thinking of my sister. I'll never see her again. I wanted to make sure Periwinkle made it to safety. At least I'll have that."

"I understand. But do not worry, child, we aren't going so far afield," Milori told her. "The winter fairies will stay close enough to bring in our season. You will be able to visit Periwinkle every winter on the mainland."

Tinker Bell's heart soared. She would also bring the good news to Bobble and Rosetta, both of whom had a loved one from the cold season. Bobble was dating Gliss, the perpetually cheerful frost fairy while Rosetta was happily in an exclusive relationship with Sled. Yet Tink's heart felt terribly for Milori. As head of state for the winter fairies he could not leave the colony. Milori and Clarion would be parted forever and no amount of fairy pluck could change that arrangement this time.

**~O~**

Tinker Bell visited her sister one last time before returning to the warm side. She still had to collect her things from Tinker's Nook to transport them to the new colony in Lizzy's meadow. After a warm embrace the two sisters spoke their tearful goodbyes.

"I'll miss you, Tink," Peri said.

"Milori told me you won't be going too far, you could visit Lizzy and I for Christmas or New Years," Tinker Bell replied.

"It won't be the same," Periwinkle insisted. "I'll barely have more than a couple of weeks. Bringing in winter takes time and we have to go back before spring arrives or our wings will break."

"How far will you be going? Maybe I can visit?"

"The Faroe Islands," Peri replied. "They're about two hundred and sixty kilometers North of Scotland. The trip will take at least three weeks both ways." Peri's eyes began to tear up even more. "It will be too far."

"At least we can celebrate our Arrival Day parties together," Tink said.

"No, we can't. Yours is in winter, mine is in spring, remember? My dandelion got caught in a tree."

"We can still celebrate it together," Tink said. "I'll make sure there is plenty of cake to go around."

"I know you will," Peri answered. There just wasn't the right thing to say. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle had celebrated so many holidays together since they learned of each other's existence: the Springtime Carnival, Pixie Hollow games, the Winter Festival, the Celebration of the Seasons, Summer Jubilee and the Autumn Revelry. Peri also loved to attend the annual tinker guild dance. Neither had missed the other's Arrival Day celebrations, either. Now would be the first.

"I can hitch a ride with you and the winter fairies," Tink said, trying to find a good solution. "Then I'll just take a balloon carrier back home."

"You have too much work to do for spring," Peri reminded her.

"Then that's it," Tink whispered. "Well visit each other when the humans celebrate Christmas."

"Yeah, I'll bring plenty of presents."

"So will I, Peri."

The two girls hugged each other, not wanting the moment to end. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle were unique among their people. Sisters who shared a very special bond. The fairies of Pixie Hollow were born of a baby's first laugh. They had no parents or uncles or aunts or cousins. Only the queen could be born from another queen. That was the only exception. It was a rare occasion when a laugh split in two, as it had for Tink and Peri. They were blood relatives, the only fairies on the island who could say that.

Before parting for good, Tink and Peri exchanged items. Small portraits of the other so they would always remember. The sisters hugged once more and then went their own ways.

"Please be safe," Tink said under her breath. Peri had said the same thing.

**~O~**

On her way out of the Winter Castle, Tinker Bell bumped into Rosetta. She was dressed in her winter clothes.

"Going to say goodbye to Sled?" Tinker Bell asked. Her own eyes puffy from all the tears shed saying farewell to Periwinkle.

Rosetta stopped. She looked at Tinker Bell and then said something that shocked the tinker fairy.

"No, I'm going with him," Rosetta said.

Tinker Bell gasped. "You're what?" A quick glance behind the garden fairy revealed several pieces of luggage tied together with string and sprinkled with dust so they would float.

"I can't be away from him forever, Tink," Rosetta said.

Tinker Bell explained how the winter fairies would be pretty close. Ro could visit Sled every winter for Christmas with Lizzy and her father.

"Oh, Sugarplum, I can't wait all year just to get two or three weeks with him," Rosetta answered. "I'll miss you and all of my friends, but I just can't be away from the man I love. Queen Clarion might have the stomach to do it, but I don't. I just don't."

Tinker Bell understood, she wanted desperately to stay with Periwinkle, but she loved Terence so much it would hurt to be away from him. She learned that the hard way while she was with Peter Pan.

"Goodbye," Tink said. Her voice was trembling. She was already emotionally spent and now Rosetta was leaving, too. Tears poured down Tink's cheeks.

"Goodbye, but I'll visit every winter, I promise," Rosetta said, giving Tink a big hug before moving on to the evacuation site for the winter fairies.

Everything she loved was falling apart for Tinker Bell. If she ever found out who this Regina person was she wanted only two things. To find out why and then punch her in the nose.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma Swan returned Henry to his home and adopted mother. She explained to Regina about her silly wish on her birthday to not be alone. Regina lit into Emma, telling her that this was not an invitation back into his life. Henry was hers now. Emma had no legal right to him and Ms. Swan no longer had a place in his life anymore. Then Regina threatened her.

"If you don't leave for Boston tonight I'll destroy you if it's the last thing I do."

This troubled Emma deeply because it gave Henry's pleas some credibility. She worried for his well-being in the care of this woman.

"Do you love him?" Emma asked, speaking of Henry.

"What?" Regina said, confused.

"Do you love him?" Emma asked again.

"Of course I love him," Regina said before going into the house and closing the door. Emma wasn't convinced.

**~O~**

Rather than go back to Boston, Emma instead went to Granny's Inn and asked for a room. Here she found a young woman arguing with her grey haired grandmother. The young, attractive brunette was dressed in very revealing attire.

"I'm sorry my heart attack got in the way of your whoring your way down the east coast," the older woman bellowed angrily.

When they spotted Emma the grandmother put on a kindly face and offered a premium room at a regular price.

"How long will you be staying," the grandmother asked.

"A week."

"Name, please?"

"Emma."

"Emma! What a lovely name," came a voice from behind her. Ms. Swan swung around and spotted a well-dressed, but slithery looking man standing beside her. The two women who operated the inn were instantly afraid of him. Granny gave him a wad of rolled up money. It was the rent due on the place.

After the man left Emma wanted to know who he was. His name was Mr. Gold and he owned the local pawnshop. He was a lender of last resort and those who came to him for financial assistance signed ironclad contracts that were carefully worded in his favor. If anyone defaulted on a loan, Gold would foreclose or take possession of property put up for collateral the same day. He pretty much owned the town as a result. It also explained why the two women were so afraid of him.

* * *

OFF THE SHORE OF NEVER LAND ISLAND

The Blue Fairy could no longer contain the Dark Curse. Her spell was weakening and she had run out of her entire supply of fairy dust. She wished that the pixie dust here could work with her own magic wand. She could hold off the darkness indefinitely. It was not to be.

As the dark purple mist flowed through the portal between her universe and this one, Blue sped off to warn Queen Clarion of the impending demise of this island. The Blue Fairy hoped she had purchased enough time for these fairies to escape Regina's prison.

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

Clarion and her four helpers stood next to Fairy Mary, once more overseeing the evacuation. The fairies in the staging area saw her and instantly their hearts soared. "There she is," someone shouted. They all looked up at her and cheered.

"Did you get it all out of your system?" Fairy Mary asked quietly.

Clarion was flabbergasted. "How did you know?"

"We've spent too many centuries together as friends for me to not notice," Fairy Mary explained.

"I see. I am well, thank you, Mary."

The two friends exchanged a brief, knowing smile between them.

"Oh my," Fairy Mary gasped. "It's The Blue Fairy."

Clarion turned to see the visitor who had warned them.

"Your Highness," Blue said addressing Clarion, "I have exhausted my supply of fairy dust and the curse has broken through my barrier. It will arrive very soon. I apologize for not doing more."

"Do not apologize, Blue Fairy," Clarion replied. "You have given us a chance at survival. We can ask for no more."

Fairy Mary, upon hearing the news told everyone in the staging area to make ready to leave. This would be the last transport. "This is it everyone, get ready to fly to the mainland. Gather your personal things and wait for our signal. Hurry, hurry!"

She then directed two scouts to fly off and turn back anyone who was returning immediately. Then Mary had the fast flyers race across Pixie Hollow to sound the alarm. Anyone still toiling in the other seasons had to drop whatever they were doing, grab a few personal items and get to Springtime Square.

"Come with us, Blue Fairy," Clarion offered. "We can offer you safe haven from this curse."

"Thank you, Your Highness, but I cannot," Blue said. "I must go to where the curse has taken my people. To a realm without magic."

Clarion was stunned. "What realm possesses no magic?"

"I do not know, but when the curse is broken in twenty eight years by the savior, I need to be with my own kind. If I stay I shall be trapped here, in a different kind of prison. Isolated from them forever."

"Yes," Clarion said, her head held low, "I understand completely. Your people have a truly courageous leader."

"As do you yours, Your Highness."

With that, The Blue Fairy bowed and then flew towards the interior of Pixie Hollow. With little time left she decided to inspect this place. Learn how it differed from the other Never Land.

**~O~**

"Where is Rosetta?" Fairy Mary asked Silvermist.

"She's going with Sled and the Winter Fairies," the water fairy answered. "She said she couldn't live without him."

"Oh dear, well I hope she knows what she's doing," Mary replied. "Very well then, don't stop to gab all day, we've got our own wings to save. Gather your things and let's go."

WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND

Lord Milori could hear the approaching thunder before the purple clouds overtook the snowcapped mountains. He ordered all of his fairies to launch right away. Milori had decided it best to keep his winter fairies together in one large group rather than extend them out as the warm weather fairies had done. The winter fairies had a great distance to travel over water and he believed in strength in their numbers. If anyone were in distress there would be plenty of help. Only the alchemists were allowed to leave early so they could find good ground for the new colony and tree.

Fortunately, everyone was ready when he gave the order.

A mass of Snowy Owls, winter fairies and balloon carriers ascended into the air. The airlift was massive. The owls circled the area while the balloon carriers reached favorable winds at higher altitudes. Milori and a few trusted winter fairies stayed to ensure that no one was left behind by accident or from faulty equipment. These included Spike, Gliss and Periwinkle of the frost talent guild, Slush from the glacier talents and Sled from the animal talents. Rosetta from the warm side had joined them at her own insistence. The garden fairy would not be separated from her one true love and newly minted husband, Sled. Milori could sympathize.

**~O~**

Rosetta didn't want to leave Pixie Hollow without marrying her man. Rather than insult Lord Milori, whose own wedding was cancelled by the curse, the two sought out the Keeper. Dewey performed a highly abbreviated version of the fairy wedding ritual. The garden fairy and winter sparrow man were legally wed. No time for a proper honeymoon, Sled promised her a great one once the new Winter Woods colony was at least functional. She just wanted to be at his side, though Ro was determined to hold him to that promise.

**~O~**

Snowflake, the Minister of Winter and Dewey, the Keeper of all Fairy Knowledge, led the mass exodus. From their vantage point high above, they could see the dark cloud slowly consuming Never Land. Dewey looked on with horror.

"Oh, dear. Lord Milori leave now or you'll never make it," he said under his breath, almost as if it were a prayer.

**~O~**

With every other carrier and Snowy Owl aloft, Milori ordered his remaining fairies to board their craft and take flight. Milori mounted his own faithful Snowy Owl and lifted off into the darkening sky. The foul mist closed on them fast. Perhaps faster than he had anticipated.

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

Every last warm fairy either boarded a balloon carrier or flew off towards the mainland under their own power. From her perch, Clarion could see the lengthy, rag tag group making their final escape. She turned upon hearing the distant thunder. She gasped when she saw the darkness consume the distant winter mountain ranges.

_Oh Milori, please be safely away, _she pleaded silently.

"Come, we must go now," Fairy Mary said, a touch of fear in her voice.

**~O~**

Clarion had given the order for her two remaining to ministers to lead away the last convoy of refugees from the island. She would join them in the Griffiths' meadow later. They protested, but Clarion gave them a cold stare and they obeyed without further dissent.

Away from island, Hyacinth and Redleaf could now see the cloud overrunning Never Land.

"She must leave now," Redleaf said.

"I'll go back for her," Hyacinth said, preparing to exit his carrier.

"No, we are too far away," Redleaf told him. The queen determined to be the last to leave. She would not go before everyone else had been evacuated. And if for any reason she did not make it off the island the ministers were to rule in her place until the curse was broken and she returned.

"What if she does not return?" Hyacinth questioned, jittery as he always was in stressful situations.

"She will have sacrificed herself for the greater good as she has always done for us," Redleaf said.

Hyacinth, who always carried a torch for the queen, felt as if he were betraying her.

"A new queen shall be born to take her place from a baby's first laugh," the autumn minister added. If a queen died before giving birth to a princess, then a new queen arrived like any other fairy. It was nature's way of protecting them from being without good leadership.

**~O~**

Fairy Gary and Terence loaded up a few extra acorn pots of yellow pixie dust. They didn't know how much time Zarina needed to grow a new pixie dust tree so they brought with them as much as possible without denying the winter fairies what they needed for the long distance journey. Bobble and Clank loaded their own tools and designs along with Tinker Bell's book of blue prints. The two tinkers noticed what everyone else did, as well. Tink and Terence sharing a longing gaze. They knew instantly why Tinker Bell had returned.

Terence was going to stay with the dust keepers, Fairy Gary, Stump, Stone and Bolt. Tinker Bell would accompanying her tinker guild mates Clank, Bobble and the recent arrival Bangle. Fairy Mary steadfastly remained by the queen's side along with the regent's four helper talents Cinda, Rhia, Grace and Lisel, as well as the queen's most trusted summoner, Viola. Fawn, Silvermist, Vidia and Iridessa jumped into their own balloon carrier which also contained their own personal items.

Rosetta was noticeably absent. Silvermist even asked where she was before remembering that the garden fairy had decided to leave with Sled. It was almost automatic for Sil and the others to expect Rosetta to be with them. Silvermist, who was usually the ditz of the group and received a considerable amount of ribbing for it, was lovingly consoled by her friends.

Somehow, incredibly, hey had done it. Every creature that swam, flew or crawled had been moved wholesale across the waters to the mainland. Along with them, thousands of fairies, millions of seeds and umpteen billion grains of pollen and pixie dust. Not a creature remained. Only Blaze, Tink's firefly friend was on the island. He waited dutifully to escort his tinker fairy.

When everyone was ready, Clarion boarded her carrier, the last to do so. She looked over Springtime Square for the last time. A lump formed in her throat. This was her home, where she ruled for over a thousand years. Now it would be gone in seconds. A tear rolled down her cheeks. Fairy Mary put her hand on Ree's shoulder.

"I'm okay," Clarion mouthed, too choked up to speak. She gave a nod. Someone in each carrier cast off and they ascended to the safety of the skies.

**~O~**

In the waters below, Cheese had survived his fall. His front paws rested on a chunk of gourd while his back feet peddled steadily. When the mouse fell into the water he was certain it meant his doom. A watery grave for the poor creature. Yet he somehow found his footing on a chunk of the gourd that carried him. Cheese determined where he was and realized it was too far to swim all the way to the mainland. He would give out from exhaustion and drown. Never Land was still in view, but to go there would invite being swept away by the curse. What would become of him in this distant land? Yet he understood that even the prison The Blue Fairy mentioned was better than drowning. A horribly slow and frightening way to die.

WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND

Lord Milori has misjudged the oncoming curse. The swirling clouds enveloped the small band that trailed the leading convoy. The winds spun around and tossed him from his owl. The avian was flung from the storm. Milori, who could not fly because one wing was broken, barely snagged a dangling vine from one of the balloon carriers.

"Milori, climb," shouted Periwinkle.

He could not hear her cries, but climb he did. The Lord of Winter was unceremoniously pulled into the ice gondola. He feared for his winter fairies. How could he have made such a horrible miscalculation?

"At least our queen survives," he said. His last thoughts before fading into unconsciousness were of his most beloved Ree.

Rosetta and Sled watched as Milori barely made it to safety. Ro gasped with fear. The darkness tightened around them like a noose. She embraced her new husband. Sled turned her face into his chest and covered her body and head with his strong arms to protect her. Though he knew nothing could stop this from taking them away. He put his head to hers and closed his eyes. At once, they were all gone.

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

"It's following us," Tinker Bell shouted. Indeed, the thundering cloud had totally overrun the island and was turning towards them, as if seeking them out. Their fates had long been decided. Everyone knew that now. The group far ahead of them was ignored. Regina apparently only wanted Clarion. Those immediately around her were collateral damage.

Queen Clarion held on tightly to her friend, Fairy Mary. "Oh dear," the tinker said, trembling.

_Milori survives, he must_, was all Clarion could think about at that moment.

The clouds gobbled up every one of the trailing balloon carriers. The swirling winds tossed them around like toys. Fawn nearly fell out of hers and only an epic struggle by her friends kept her from falling. The four fairy friends gathered around in the bottom of the gondola and held tightly to one another.

Fairy Gary gripped the ropes that tethered the pixie dust covered cotton balls to the gondola. The others did the same, with Bolt wrapping a loose rope around his waist for good measure.

Tinker Bell and Terence spied one another from across the maelstrom. Terence's balloon was carried away from Tink's. He called out to her, but the roar drowned him out. He made a decision, leaping from his balloon and flying to hers. He almost didn't make it. The powerful winds nearly carrying him away.

Once aboard with Tink, he took off his acorn cap and put his arms around the little blonde fairy's waist.

"I love you, Tink," he said over the din.

"I love you, too, Terence," she answered him.

As the curse closed in around them he kissed her. It was the last thing they would remember.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Henry Mills stared out at the clock tower at the center of town. It was clearly visible from his second floor bedroom window. It was eight fifteen according to his alarm clock. The same as the clock tower, yet that one had never moved in his memory.

**~O~**

Claire Kensington sat at the bedside in the room of her youngest daughter, Tina. She held a Kindle e-Reader device in hand.

"Want me to read you a bedtime story?" she asked.

"Mo-om, I'm sixteen. I'm too old for that now," Tina protested. She was still busy with her trigonometry homework and while she would prefer almost anything else to it, being treated like a ten year old was worse.

"I'll by you ice cream after school tomorrow," Claire bribed.

"Rocky Road?"

"Rocky Road. Two scoops."

"Okay!" Tina bounded from her desk chair and into bed.

Claire tapped the device. "Okay, where did we leave off last time? Oh yes, here we are."

She began reading from the text of _Peter and Wendy_ by author J. M. Barrie. Soon they got to the part where Tink called Peter a "silly ass."

"Wow, I don't remember Tinker Bell ever having a mouth like that," Claire said, stunned. "You are not to use that kind of language, ever. Is that understood, Tina?"

"Yes, Mom," the girl sighed. She didn't know what the fuss was about. You could hear worse on television every day, especially on premium channels like HBO.

"Good." Satisfied, she kissed her little girl on the forehead and kept reading.

**~O~**

Emma Swan settled into the room provided by Granny, the older woman who greeted her at the check-in counter. The young brunette whose name was Ruby, Emma learned, brought up fresh towels before going out on the town for the night. Ms. Swan lay in the bed and found it surprisingly comfortable.

**~O~**

The alarm clock on Henry's nightstand turned to eight sixteen. As he watched the tower, the minute hand for the first time ever, moved. He smiled. Emma _was_ the savior. The curse was starting to break.

END EPISODE 1

* * *

**Whew, that was a lot of typing. My hands hurt and my brain feels like it is melting. I do hope you enjoyed all of Episode 1. Future episodes shouldn't be this long, but there was just so much set up for both the tv show and my story. Please tell me what you thought of it. I always enjoy reading your feedback. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover  
****Season 1, Episode 2, Chapter 1**

* * *

The events in Storybrooke / Enchanted Forest occur during the second episode of the first season titled: The Thing You Love Most

* * *

**~O~**

THE GRIFFITHS' SUMMER HOME OUTSIDE LONDON, ENGLAND (The early Edwardian Period)

As the final balloon carriers arrived in the meadow across from the Griffiths' summer house, the sun had set and the last daylight was fading way. Lizzy Griffiths now a teenager, greeted the fairies with subdued excitement. She had always been fascinated with fairies and was close friends with Tinker Bell. She and her father even learned the fairy language to converse with them easier.

Upon learning what was happening, Lizzy was devastated by the news that Pixie Hollow was being destroyed. However, she consoled herself with the knowledge that her close friend Tinker Bell would in her very backyard. The girl envisioned the two visiting every day after her schooling was ended. Lizzy wanted to help the fairies re-establish their world while having fun and adventure with the little tinker fairy she met one rainy summer afternoon several years ago. The girl had not seen Tinker Bell in sometime, learning only belatedly that she had run off with Peter Pan to have adventures. Now her heart swelled with excitement in anticipation of seeing the tinker fairy once again.

She ran from balloon to balloon calling and looking for Tinker Bell. At arriving at the last one to land she found only the two ministers: Hyacinth and Redleaf.

"Tinker Bell? Did she make it?" Lizzy asked the ministers.

Redleaf could not even look her in the eye. He bowed his head and slowly shook it, indicating "no."

"I'm sorry, child," Hyacinth answered. "The dark magic has taken your friend and our queen. They never had a chance."

Lizzy ran to her father and wrapped her arms around him. She put her head into his chest and sobbed.

"She's…, she's gone, father," Lizzy told him. "Tinker Bell is gone."

"There, there, Lizzy," Martin Griffiths whispered, gently stroking her head in consolation.

Redleaf and Hyacinth delivered the awful news to the Never Fairies that escaped to the meadow. Queen Clarion did not escape the curse. She was lost. The hope that lived within their hearts instantly evaporated.

The first order of business for the three warm ministers was to try and establish a governing body. They bickered and yelled amongst each other. The fairies who watched felt more and more that they had no hope for their future. Their queen was gone and the ministers were arguing over petty grievances.

Dr. Martin Griffiths suggested a solution. Until a queen became available, they should establish a government devised from the British model. The ministers listened, quietly dismissed it. However, after more bickering, they ultimately decided it was the best solution available.

Redleaf was selected as the Prime Minister, overseeing the colony as the queen did. Redleaf was chosen because he was the eldest of the three, the wisest, the most experienced and he maintained his cool and composure in difficult situations better than either Hyacinth or Sunflower. He would also continue as Minister of Autumn, pulling double duty.

A fairy council was established with an upper assembly and a lower assembly. The upper assembly would consist of representatives from the major guilds. The lower was composed of representatives from the minor guilds, those that existed as sub talents of the major guilds.

Finally, two judiciary councils were formed to deal with conflicts between fairies. One for criminal transgressions, the other for civil disagreements. Fairy law and its overriding pillars remained an integral part of their culture and government.

With this work done, the fairies began the enormous task of rebuilding their shattered world. Zarina was tending to a wisp of a sapling that was peeking out of the ground. It was surrounded by her alchemy students, garden fairies, water fairies and light fairies. This was the new Pixie Dust Tree. It became a symbol of hope, the only one the Never Fairies formerly of Pixie Hollow had left.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE (October 2011)

Morning. The sun rose over the waters of the Atlantic bathing the city in a rejuvenating glow. Its warmth did not go unnoticed as the birds chirped, insects hummed and many denizens of the town by the ocean stirred at the first light. Granny's Diner opened for business. Sheriff Graham was one of the first customers today. Every day in fact. People began to fill the streets as they walked or drove to work, to shop or to school. Emma Swan woke in the comfy bed at the inn. She looked out the window and remembered where she was.

Inside her palatial, two story home Mayor Regina Mills paged through the book Mary Margaret had given to her son, Henry. The one titled _Once Upon a Time_. Inside were fairy tales, stories of fantasy that no one would believe were real except Regina. These stories were the history of her land, the Enchanted Forest and detailed incidents that she remembered with vivid clarity. When she reached the end of the book, the last few pages were gone. Torn out on purpose.

"Where are the missing pages?" she demanded of her son.

He claimed it was on old book. "Stuff's missing," he lied.

She saw him smiling as he readied himself for school. Regina didn't understand why he seemed so happy until she heard a sound from outside his window. It was the gong of the clock tower. Regina was startled by it, then shocked. The clock in the center of town never worked. It was a reminder that time was frozen here. Frozen by the dark curse. If the clock was moving, it meant the curse was losing its grip on the city. She was losing her grip on the city.

Regine went to the town square and gazed at the moving clock which sat atop the permanently closed library building. She was joined by Dr. Archie Hopper and his Dalmatian, Pongo. "Looks like those rusty innards finally worked themselves free," the psychologist commented to her. Regina was not amused. A happenstance glance towards the bread shop revealed an old, yellow VW Bug. Emma Swan was still in town. Apparently, Ms. Swan didn't heed Regina's warning to leave town last night. She was going to need more "convincing."

* * *

**~O~**

Despite the new dawn, each day was pretty much the same for Claire Kensington. She woke up at 5:30 am, cleaned up a bit, put on a long robe and went downstairs to cook breakfast for her two daughters, sixteen year old Tina and twenty four year old Valerie. The two girls slept much later than she did, so to keep herself company Claire turned on the small color television on the kitchen counter to watch the morning weather report. Then she switched to the talk show _Storybrooke This Morning_ hosted by a pair of bubble headed women. Claire didn't particularly like the show, but it was better than the often depressing news on the other channels. With breakfast halfway done she could hear her daughters stirring and like every day they were fighting over the single common upstairs bathroom.

**~O~**

When the alarm went off Tina hit the snooze button for a few extra minutes, but fate just wouldn't let her have them. She heard the alarm go off in her sister's room. Tina rocketed out of bed and shot into the hall.

"Hey, I was first," Valerie yelled through the closed door. Tina had ducked into the bathroom right under her sister's nose and gave the older girl the raspberry as she closed door in Valerie's face.

"Get out of there you little punk, I have to pee," Val yelled again.

"Sucks to be you this morning," Tina replied as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush. "Just use the one in mom's room." Tina didn't hear anything from the door after that so Valerie must have taken her advice. After a good shower she snuck back into her room before Valerie could try anything as payback for stealing the bathroom. Fortunately, Val was in the en suite's shower so she had no opportunity at revenge. Tina feared that would change later.

**~O~**

When the plates were set out on the kitchen table it wasn't much longer to wait for Tina to descend the stairs. She slipped into the kitchen and announced in a happy, high pitched voice, "Hi, Mom!" right before giving Claire a quick peck on the cheek, which Claire would reciprocate. Tina was usually bright and cheerful, with a sense of wonder of the world around her. Claire took great pleasure in watching her explore; she was especially fascinated with mechanics and loved to repair or take things apart.

Today her mother fixed whole wheat dollar pancakes, two eggs sunny side up, three strips of bacon, two sausage patties, grits and orange juice. Tina couldn't wait to start eating, but after the first bite she couldn't just wolf it down it was so tasty. For herself, Claire cooked a different meal since her doctor expressly told her to cut back on fats and salt to lower her high blood pressure. Her breakfast consisted of the whole wheat pancakes, egg whites with Ms. Dash salt free sprinkle for flavor, half a Ruby Red Grapefruit with sugar substitute and coffee.

The inhumanly perky talk show hosts were chatting about the weather and then began a segment about lawn and garden care. Claire listened intently as the two airheads detailed how to apply beneficial nematodes to eliminate pests in a garden or lawn. Nematodes were tiny creatures that lived in the soil destroying many unwanted insects harmful to a garden, pets and people.

Maine had to deal with ticks that carried Lyme Disease. The nematodes were a natural way to control the flea and tick population in a yard or garden. The two jabbering hosts did mention that the little worms were safe around pets and people. "You have to water them into your garden early in the morning before first light, or after the sun has gone down," one of the ladies on the television explained in a cheery and helpful manner. "If you apply them during the daylight hours, the sun will kill them."

"Beneficial nematodes," Tina's mother said writing the name down on a piece of paper. "Another service we can offer our customers." Lately her mother had started doing simple yard work when other jobs began drying up. Tina knew offering another service would mean a little more money for the family. It also meant getting up extra early on Saturday mornings. _Well, so much for the cartoons…, or sleeping in for that matter._

A few minutes later, a little slower and with far less energy was the older Valerie. Val and her mother had a contentious relationship ever since Claire's husband, Charlie, passed away. Since his death, the young woman changed her clothing; got numerous piercings; her work ethic disappeared; and she recently tinted her dark hair with purple steaks. Val often expressed her discontent through her clothing and today did so with a tight fitting tee for the heavy metal band AC/DC with the words "Highway to Hell" emblazoned across the front in blood red.

_Not exactly subtle_, Claire thought to herself.

"Hey," was all Val muttered when she entered the kitchen for breakfast. Valerie wolfed down her food so she could get out of the house as quickly as possible rather than take a ride to the work site with her annoying mother and cloyingly perfect little sister. When Claire wasn't looking Val leaned over to her sister and whispered "I hate your guts." Then she went back to eating. Tina just sort of grinned and whispered back, "Loser."

Though an employee of Claire's general contracting business, Val much preferred to hide out at The Rabbit Hole, the local bar where she could hustle the men out of their money at the pool table or dart board. Valerie finished her breakfast, gulped down her juice and left the table with a mumbled "bye." She grabbed her leather jacket and helmet and made a beeline for the door to the backyard and garage.

"Stay here," Claire said. "Don't you dare leave this house, young lady!" Claire tried to follow her outside, but she was still in her robe and wouldn't go passed the door. "Valerie! Valerie, dammit get back in here!" Claire's wayward daughter could no longer hear any other sound except the roaring of the twin cam engine of her old Harley-Davidson motorcycle as she sped away for the Rabbit Hole.

**~O~**

When Claire and Tina finished their breakfast and the morning dishes were clean, the youngest daughter sat in front of the television to watch the rest of _Storybrooke This Morning_ while her mother went back upstairs to finish dressing for the day. For the work site Claire dressed in work jeans by Dickie's, a red tartan flannel shirt to keep out the chill and thick socks under steel toe boots both by Wolverine. Claire combed and set her honey brown hair in a simple ponytail and slipped it through the opening on the back of her company ball cap.

She performed one last morning ritual.

Claire went to her private bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a glass bottle of cologne for men. She opened it and took a whiff bringing back wonderful memories of her deceased husband Charlie. The joyfulness of the moment was quickly replaced by the pain of knowing he was long dead and that memories were all that she had left of him. Ree, as Charlie called her, put the cologne back into the medicine cabinet and then sprayed on a little perfume to her neck and shirt, just enough so she would smell nice even as she sweated through the long and rugged work day.

Claire came downstairs, grabbed her coat and with Tina right behind they left the house and climbed into the old GMC pickup truck Claire used as a work vehicle. Tina was dropped off at school before Claire stopped at The Rabbit Hole to collect Valerie.

**~O~**

When the door to the bar opened Valerie was being pulled from the wrist by her mother.

"Get into the truck," Claire said angrily.

"Not fair, I'm old enough to do what I want!" Val shouted.

"Then act your age," her mother blasted back. "As long as you live under my house you live by my rules. I don't care how old you are, Val, you are still my daughter and you _will_ obey me."

"Fine, then I'm out of the house. I have enough money for my own place," Val roared defiantly.

"And how will you keep paying for rent? You'll need a steady job with regular pay, not this hustling gig you've cooked up. You do remember what Mayor Mills said yesterday, don't you?"

"I have a job, remember? I work for you."

"Since when? You never show up on time, you do as little work as possible and you are the first to leave even if your work isn't finished. I should fire you for being useless."

"That's all that I am to you, isn't it? Useless. Ever since your precious little golden haired princess was born I've been the odd one out. You should have just sent me back to the orphanage where I could find a real mother."

"I _AM_ YOUR REAL MOTHER!" Claire shouted. "I'm your mother because I want you to be a good young lady who is responsible and hard working. Who won't end up getting taken advantage of in a bar or working the red light district as a prostitute, or living under the old toll bridge because you have no money for a place to live. I'm your mother because I love and care about you as much as I do Tina."

"No you don't. You have always loved her more than you do me because she is your flesh and blood. I'm just some hard luck case you adopted because you and dad wanted a baby and thought you couldn't have one of your own. Well now you do so you can kiss my ass goodbye," Valerie screamed to her mother as she pulled away from Claire's grasp and turned back towards the bar.

"Fine, you want to spend the rest of your life hustling for money you go right ahead and do that," Claire yelled back. "But if you go into that bar instead of the truck you will never be allowed back in my house ever again and you can find work somewhere else. If you don't want to be my daughter then by extension you don't want any of the things I give you. You will have no roof over your head, no food in your stomach and no clothes on your back. You can fend for yourself for all I care. Have fun living in the gutter."

Valerie stopped at the entrance, her hand on the door handle. She wasn't sure if Claire was bluffing, but if her adopted mother wasn't then what would she do to survive? Valerie decided not to call Claire's bluff and stormed her way to the old GMC pickup. She climbed in, slammed the door and sat there, angry as hell waiting for her mother to drive to the worksite.

**~O~**

On the way over Valerie asked, "What about my bike?"

"I'll pick it up later," Claire replied. "How could you afford that thing anyway?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" was the only thing Valerie offered as an answer.

The young woman in purple and black just stared out the truck door as the town moved passed the window. Her soft, pale blue colored eyes reflected back at her in the glass. She expected to see anger and hatred, but instead saw only hurt and sadness. Once at the site Claire donned a yellow hardhat over her cap while Valerie topped herself with her own company baseball cap. Claire kept vigil over her employees, checking on what they were doing, that they were meeting code, following prescribed OSHA safety requirements and ensuring they were all hydrated, a tricky thing in Storybrooke's usually cool environment. Then she set to work putting down paper and tar on the roof.

Valerie sat up on the opposite side of the roof and would occasionally pound in a nail to hold down the shingles. But mostly she looked up at the sky thinking about the aircraft she would sometimes see flying overhead on clear days and wished she could be up there with them. That is where she wanted to be, what she wanted to do with her life: fly. Not fix roofs or run water pipes or put up dry wall. Fly in the clear blue sky with all the freedom that came with it.

* * *

**Author's Note: Charlie is not Lord Milori. He is a false memory created by the curse to keep Clarion and Milori apart in Storybrooke.**

**As always, reviews and other feedback are greatly appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 2, Chapter 2**

* * *

FYI:

For those unfamiliar with the TV series _Once Upon a Time_, the show tells two concurrent stories in every episode. One story is set in Storybrooke, the second is a flashback to the Enchanted Forest. The Storybrooke portions are, generally speaking, in chronological order from episode to episode. The flashback sequences, however, are not. They bounce around the timeline highlighting a particular character in each episode, adding depth and texture to that individual.

I'll be using that same format with flashback sequences to Pixie Hollow's past.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

All she had left was revenge. An explosion of purple smoke signaled Queen Regina's return to her castle. A sword impaled itself into the masonry. That was Prince Charming's feeble attempt to do her in. Regina had just disrupted the wedding of Snow White to David, her Prince Charming. She promised everyone in attendance that beginning tomorrow she was going to take away all of their happy endings. Everyone and everything they cared about would be gone.

Ever since David woke Snow White from the sleeping curse, Regina's life had been one misery after another. Together, Snow and Charming established their own kingdom, raised an army, neutralized her dark powers against them and freed the Enchanted Forest from her rule. She had lost everything that mattered to her.

The face in the magic mirror needlessly informed Regina that her threat was an empty one. She had no power to do what she said. Her manservant offered some advice, to give up her quest for revenge. The man was also her father. She loved him, but Snow had taken away Regina's last hope for a happy life and she was going to pay. But how?

The Dark Curse.

When the queen first received the dark curse she found it shockingly despicable. A weapon of such terrifying evil that even she was afraid of it. To ensure it would never be cast, Regina traded it to someone she trusted to hide away from those who might misuse it. Now Regina wanted it back.

She ventured to the castle of Maleficent, the sorceress who gave Regina the sleeping spell in exchange for the curse. Maleficent reminded Regina of why she gave it up in the first place. Whoever devised it in the first place made the two of them "look positively moral" by comparison. It didn't sway the queen's blackened heart. After a duel of magic and wits, Regina won and claimed her prize.

* * *

OFF THE COAST OF NEVER LAND ISLAND (Early Edwardian Period)

A winter scout returned to the lead balloon carrier.

"Report," Snowflake demanded. Ever since the purple clouds swallowed up the Lord of Winter and the remaining winter fairies, The Minister of Winter had stopped the entire convoy and initiated search and rescue operation. That was twenty four long hours ago.

"No sign of Lord Milori or the others," he said. His voice was weak, almost afraid to deliver the news.

"Well keep looking, we have to find them," Snowflake replied.

"Minister," Dewey said, "We cannot wait any longer. Our dust won't last forever."

"Keeper, mind your place," Snowflake answered defiantly. "We can always replenish at the falls…" Her defiance faded. "No, we can't, can we."

The Keeper shook his head.

Another winter scout approached. He was carrying something.

"What is it? What do you have?" Snowflake asked, anxious for some good news.

The scout, looking dejected, held up a beaded necklace. Both Snowflake and Dewey recognized it immediately.

"The owl? What happened to it?" Snowflake asked.

"I'm sorry, Minister," was all the scout could say.

"Then he's…, he's really gone," Dewey said, choking up. "Lord Milori is no more."

Snowflake bowed her head. She didn't want to believe it. "Keep looking."

"Minister, we can't stay any longer," Dewey advised. "Our dust won't hold out. You have to give the order."

She knew he was right. Milori was dead. No matter how much she wanted to deny that fact. No trace of him or the others had been found for a whole day. She had held out hope that if the Lord Milori had indeed perished, a new Lord or Lady would have arrived to take his place. Since none had she reasoned that he must still be alive. However, given the current circumstances, no new leader could arrive to take his place. Not knowing was the worst for the Minister. It created so much doubt in her mind. She hated doubt, it clouded her judgment. Right or wrong, the Minister of Winter had to make a decision.

"All right. Let's go," she said, forcing herself to say those words.

Dewey, The Keeper of All Fairy Knowledge, bowed to her. With this unspoken declaration of Lord Milori's passing, Snowflake the Minister of Winter had become Snowflake the Lady of Winter and the new leader of the Winter Never Fairies.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina sat in homeroom, anxious to get to her favorite class: metal shop. First she had to endure English, US History (Colonization to the Civil War) and Geometry. Last year she had enrolled in wood-shop and enjoyed it so thoroughly that she enrolled in its companion class this year. Today, the metal shop class was going to use spot welders to make tool caddies. She couldn't wait.

At the moment, though, she had endure the drudgery of her homeroom. Fifteen minutes of pure torture. Tina hated her homeroom teacher, an old woman with such a sour attitude that Tina nicknamed her Mrs. Ugly Old Bat. That awful old lady treated every student in the room like they were a bunch of good-for-nothings.

On the first day of the school year, Mrs. Ugly Old Bat sized up everyone declaring who was going to succeed and who was going to fail. When she got to Tina, the woman said, "I remember your sister. You're going to flame out just like she did. You should just drop out now and spare us all your theatrics."

Tina was crushed. Claire took umbrage and vehemently complained to the principal and the school board. The horrible woman couldn't get fired. She had tenure and the powerful local teacher's union refused to let the school discharge her.

When the bell rang this morning to signal the beginning of the school day, Mrs. Ugly Old Bat told everyone to, "Shut up and sit down." She glared at the students through her horned rimmed glasses with beady eyes and a permanent scowl. The wrinkled old hag took roll and then declared she could not understand why they even bothered to show up. "It's not like any of you are going to amount to anything, anyway."

An audio speaker mounted on the wall came to life. The elegant baritone of the Vice Principal came through loud and clear.

"Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance," the disembodied voice ordered. Every one, Tina included, stood and followed his lead:

_I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all._

Then came a moment of silent reflection. She heard the student behind her quietly reciting the Lord's Prayer. Apparently he hadn't studied for a test and wanted Divine Intervention to help him get an "A."

_Not gonna happen_, Tina thought wryly.

Following the moment of silence were some announcements and then came the bell for first period. Tina couldn't get out of homeroom fast enough.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (Approx. 900 A.D.)

Several scouts were positioned around the root bridge. No one was allowed inside their perimeter. The sun was setting and her majesty, the queen, had come here as she had every evening to meet_ him_.

Clarion and Milori sat on the bridge that straddled the line between Spring and Winter. She was the queen of all Pixie Hollow and a warm fairy. He was the Lord of Winter and a cold weather fairy. Neither could cross over into the other season without the threat of losing a wing. So they met here, every sunset at the border. Always together, forever apart. They didn't care.

"How did you do that?" she asked him.

"Simple," he replied, demonstrating again. "First, gather the water from the air and freeze it into ice crystals creating a blank. Then get an image in your mind of what you want to create. Once you have that, spin the blank on the tip of your finger and with the other hand sculpt away the excess snow until you have a snowflake."

A perfect snowflake appeared, perched on the tip of his finger.

"It's beautiful," she gasped.

"Don't you know how to make snowflakes?" he asked her. "I thought the queen possessed every talent from all four seasons."

"I do," her highness replied. "The minister of winter has been too busy to teach me."

"I see, would you like a little 'private' instruction?" he asked, with a sly glint in his eye.

She giggled. "I would like that very much."

Milori put his arm around the queen's waist pulling her in close. He then kissed her.

"I thought you were going to teach me how to make snowflakes?" she asked him, a mocking suspicious tone to her lovely voice.

"A snowflake fairy needs a happy disposition to sculpt," he answered. "I'm just preparing the student properly."

"Well in that case," she said edging up next to him, "you may continue."

He kissed her again.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma joined Henry as he was walking to school. While they talked, he informed her about "Operation Cobra." She was about to take a bite of a Honey Crisp apple when he asked where she got.

"From the mayor," she answered.

"DON'T EAT THAT!" he cried, stripping the apple from her hand and tossing into the garbage. Earlier that day, Emma had a rather unpleasant visit from Mayor Mills in which she made several veiled threats against her. Ms. Swan, however, refused to back down.

"Okay, so what's 'Operation Cobra?'" she asked him.

It was Henry's plan to help Emma break the curse. The first step was to associate the characters in the book of fairy tales with their corresponding identities in Storybrooke. None of the residents could remember who they really were because their memories were being masked by a haze spell. Emma wasn't swayed. He then handed her the missing pages from the fairy tale book and told her that she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Then went further and said that Mary Margaret Blanchard, his elementary school teacher, was Snow White. He insisted that she not show those pages to his adopted mother and encouraged Emma to read them.

The conversation leaves Emma very concerned about Henry's mental state and pays a visit to his therapist, Dr. Archie Hopper. She asks for the boy's medical files and he graciously provides them to her. It was Emma's first big mistake as she forgot about doctor patient confidentiality. If she had remembered, Ms. Swan would have realized she was being set up. Moments after she left, Dr. Hopper phoned the mayor.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Queen Regina had gathered several creatures both dark and sinister around a caldron. She revealed her plan to gain revenge on Snow White and the residents of the Enchanted Forest. She offered these sinister creatures a part in her vengeance. They would be taken to this world, but would be spared the curse. All she needed from them was a lock of hair.

Each one placed a few strands in the caldron where inside sat something else. The curse required Regina to take the heart of the thing she loved most and use it make the spell work. Inside was the heart of her prized stallion which she had ripped out of its chest with her bare hands. She cast the spell and purple smoke began to billow. It swirled and thundered as the assembled shrunk in fear. Then it fizzled.

A gnome jumped onto a rock and laughed at Regina. He reveled in her failure. Regina cast her dark magic and turned him to stone. He would follow her to Storybrooke, as an ornament in her garden.

**~O~**

Perplexed by her failure, Regina retreated to the castle and consulted with her father. He tried to talk her out of this mad desire for vengeance. They could move away, start a new life and find true happiness somewhere else.

Regina, however, fixated on the fact that Snow White had cost Regina her one chance at true happiness and would not give up until she had taken Snow White's happy ending away from her. Yet she still could not understand why the curse failed. Her father suggested talking to the person who gave it to her in the first place. Rumpelstiltskin.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire had been distracted, so distracted by Valerie this morning that she had forgotten to bring along the lunches she had packed for them. Rather than go all the way home Claire opted to eat at Granny's Diner nearby. Valerie sat at a table while Claire went into the bathroom to clean up a bit. She washed her face and neck, clearing both of sweat, dirt and sawdust. Then she opened her flannel shirt and wiped down her underarms with the wet towels.

The middle aged woman stared into the mirror and wondered exactly how her life ended up this way. She had a Bachelor's degree in music and once held aspirations of being a concert pianist playing major venues in cities like New York, London and Paris. All of that changed when she met and later married Charles Valentine Kensington, a high school dropout who had started his own contractor business with a little bit of money and whole lot of persistence.

Claire didn't think much of him when they first met. She pegged him as an uneducated simpleton beneath her status as a college graduate. He wouldn't take no for an answer and kept pressing her for a date. She finally agreed. Charlie, it turned out, was whip smart with an agile intellect and a knack for making anyone feel totally comfortable around him. His poor grades in school came about because he learned best by watching and doing, rather than reading about it.

He was a tall and powerfully built man, yet Claire never felt intimated by him. He always had a big smile on his face and a genuinely upbeat disposition. She fell in love and they married. When it was discovered Claire most likely could not bear children, she was devastated. Charlie, though, kept her spirits up and suggested adoption. They found the most beautiful baby girl and named her Valerie, in honor of her new father. From that day on, he tended to the business while she was a stay at home mom. As Valerie got a little older, Claire put her music degree to use by offering piano lessons.

When Charlie died, Claire was forced to take over his company. She had no idea how to be a contractor and had been struggling with it ever since. She was a musician and a mother, not a carpenter, plumber or brick layer. Yet that was exactly what she had to do to survive. Valerie and Tina were depending on her. What made everything more difficult for Claire was that Charlie had a way with people that she lacked. He could foster lifetime friendships and solid business partnerships over a beer and baseball game. She would sometimes get flustered negotiating pay for the day laborers.

Staring into that mirror, Claire wondered what her life might have been like if she had never married Charles Kensington. She might be a highly paid musician by now. Flying first class to Europe or Asia, playing for heads of state and staying at the finest hotels. It was an intoxicating fantasy. Valerie's little tirade this morning only made Claire want it even more. Then she thought of Tina, her flesh and blood. How could she turn her back on that perfect little angel?

Claire buttoned up her shirt and went back into the diner, certain that Val would have run off by now. She was still at the table, though, gulping down a glass of iced tea. Claire was thankful for small favors.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Reviews are always welcome. **

**P.S. Don't worry, Lord Milori will show up soon enough.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 2, Chapter 3**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The Daily Mirror, Storybrooke's only newspaper, had an article concerning a young woman named Emma Swan. A visitor who had destroyed the town's historic road sign last night because she was drunk. Claire could not believe what she was reading. The article, a front page piece, cast the visiting Ms. Swan in the worst possible light.

"They ought to run that woman out of town," Claire mumbled while eating lunch. What she and the rest of the town did not realize was that it was a hatchet job. A libelous and almost wholly fabricated article written by the paper's lead reporter, Sidney Glass, at the request of Mayor Regina Mills.

Regina had employed Sidney to do some investigating into Ms. Swan's background. She wanted to learn as much as she could about her in the hopes of finding something scandalous enough to scare Henry away from the Swan woman. Unfortunately, he had found almost nothing of use to her.

**~O~**

After lunch, Claire packed up her eldest daughter and drove to The Rabbit Hole to pick up the girl's motorcycle. On the way, Valerie spotted a blue Dodge Ram panel van.

With a sneer, Valerie said, "There goes your boyfriend, James Bond."

Claire looked out the window and saw the van. On its panel it read:

Winter's Heating  
HVAC Installation and Repair  
Hartley Winter, Owner / Operator

Valerie was still giving her attitude.

"He is not my boyfriend," Claire replied sharply. "And just because he is British does not make him James Bond."

The van turned off the main street and into a residential area.

At the bar, Valerie reclaimed her motorcycle and drove it to the work site. Claire followed closely in her truck to ensure she did.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (Approx. 950 A.D.)

Usually they met at the border every day at sunset. Today they met in the afternoon. The Lord of Winter had a grand idea: skating. The winter border ran along two of the warm seasons, touching both the Spring Valley and the Autumn Forest. Only the Summer Glade was excluded as it existed on the far side of The Hollow between Spring and Summer.

The border itself was a physical divide, a river fed by run off from mountain snow. The water cut through the earth between the three seasons, leaving sheer walls that were deep to a fairy or a small animal. Fortunately, fairies could fly.

And skate.

In between the earthen cliffs the river moved between the warm and the cold. The change between the seasons was like a curtain, leaving one half of the river frozen solid while the other was warm, flowing water. This is where Lord Milori and Queen Clarion had their date. His idea was simple. He would ice skate on the frozen side while she would water skate on the warmer side, their hands touching where warm turned cold.

They fluttered their wings which propelled them across the river. Clarion smiled when she looked across at her love. The wind whipping through this snowy what hair. The queen, who always kept her hair in an up do style, pulled down her honey brown locks letting them flow with the air that rushed passed. He laughed a bit, she never looked so beautiful. When they approached the Autumn / Winter border they stopped. He pulled up close to her and, holding her arm high, watched as she spun on the water's surface. Her dress flared out and her lovely hair whipped around.

She slowed and Milori wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her in tight. "You were magnificent, Ree."

Clarion's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, how did you come up with that name? Ree?"

"It was the sound my heart made when I first laid eyes on you," he told her.

"Good answer."

He smiled, leaned in and kissed her lovingly on those beautiful red lips.

"Should we?" he asked, motioning to the Autumn / Winter border.

"It's cooler over there," she said. "I would need a sweater."

"Oh," was all he said. They gazed into each others eyes. Both could see the longing in the other. They wanted desperately to be a part of the other's world. But they could not cross the border. A warm fairy's wings would freeze and break in the Winter Woods. A cold fairy's wings would become hot and wilt under the hot sun of the warm seasons before tearing. It was cruel quirk of nature that kept them apart.

Instead, they turned and skated back through the Spring / Winter border. Their hearts both swelling, and aching, with the love they had for each other.

Later in the evening, they shared a lovely dinner on the bridge where they always met. The talked and laughed and kissed. Then they snuggled, watching the sun set in the distance. After saying their goodbyes, each went back to their own worlds and responsibilities. On his way to the Winter Castle, Milori began thinking about what Ree had told him. The Autumn Forest was cooler. Maybe, he theorized, it would be cool enough for a winter fairy.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma found herself in jail again, she knew exactly why.

The Sheriff had arrested her after Dr. Hopper reported that Emma had stolen Henry's medical records. She was stunned by the accusation, but not entirely surprised. This stunt had Regina's fingerprints all over it.

Indeed, Regina Mills used the phony arrest to try and convince Henry that Emma was a dangerous woman who was trying to tear them apart. Her pleas had the reverse effect. Instead of making Henry fearful of Emma, he enlisted the aid of his teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, to bail Ms. Swan out of jail.

"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked the elementary school teacher.

"I trust you," Ms. Blanchard replied. Emma didn't exactly know why. Henry, however, did.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST, RUMPELSTILTSKIN'S PRISON

Queen Regina had to know why the Dark Curse didn't work. She stood in front of him, The Dark One. But with Rumpelstiltskin, everything came with a price. His fee: to be wealthy and comfortable in this new world of Regina's. Secondly, if he should ask a favor of her, she could not refuse him as long as he said "please."

The evil queen agreed since he would have no memory of this conversation or the contract. With the deal struck, the answer was simple. The stallion she sacrificed was not the thing she loved most. It was something else. Regina just needed to figure out what that was.

Before she left, he also informed her of the visit he had with Snow White and Prince Charming and detailed that their child would break the spell.

**~O~**

Back at her castle, Regina understands what she loves most, or rather whom. Her father. He tries to reassure her that she could find love again. Regina doesn't believe that she can and tears his heart out, killing him.

Tears trickle down her cheeks. "Sorry, Daddy."

She returns to the caldron and recasts the spell. This time she is alone. This time it works. At her father's grave she lays a black rose. His name was Henry.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

At the high school, Claire is waiting for her youngest to exit. The mother of two was in a bit of a pickle. Valerie was giving her attitude again. However, Claire had promised Tina ice cream last night. If she bought ice cream for both girls, she would be rewarding Valerie's bad behavior. To exclude Val would be give the older girl further reason to disobey her mother. Life was difficult enough without all of her drama.

Ever since Tina was born Valerie felt that her mother paid extra attention to the younger girl. At first, Claire thought it was just sibling rivalry. When Charlie passed away, her attitude turned for the worst and she had been rebelling ever since. Her latest stunt involved hustling patrons at The Rabbit Hole, usually at the pool table or dart board. How that girl learned to play either of those games so well was beyond her.

Valerie was very athletic as a child, playing sports for Storybrooke Middle and High Schools. She displayed excellent body control, hand-eye coordination and in situation decision making. Her room still had the shelf Charlie built to display her trophies. There were no more trophies after Charlie died. It was like her spirit died with him.

_Maybe I'm too harsh on her_, Claire thought. _Or maybe I'm being too soft._ Valerie was twenty four and legally an adult. She was responsible for her own actions. Yet she never went to college and wasn't interested in looking for work or doing anything else with her life. Except for that ridiculous fantasy Valerie kept nursing about learning to fly.

**~O~**

The last bell rang. Tina grabbed her backpack and made a beeline for the door. Once outside she saw her mother's work truck idling next to the curb. Walking towards the old beat up vehicle she spied the postman delivering mail to the houses across the street from the high school. The mailman was Clarence; a blonde haired, blue eyed nineteen year old Adonis. Clarence looked her way and waved. Her heart went pitter patter. She blushed, her cheeks turning a beet red. Tina smiled at him and waved back, mostly just curling and uncurling her fingers.

The two had shared the same Physical Education class her freshman year. He looked absolutely magnificent in those cut off t-shirts he wore while climbing ropes, running laps or just standing there. She always went weak in the knees around him. Tina had wanted to ask him out, but she could never get up enough courage to talk to him. Clarence did notice her, though, smiling in her direction several times. Then one day, he spoke to her.

"Hi, Tina, you dropped your pen," he said holding a chewed up ball point pen.

"Thanks," she breathed.

_He knows who I am! He knows who I am!_ She shrieked with glee inside.

I didn't occur Tina that her name was stitched to her backpack. It didn't matter, _he knew who she was!_

They met a few times in the lunch line and even sat together once in a while. He liked her eyes and her cute pigtails.

She liked everything.

Last year, for the annual senior prom Clarence, a graduating senior, invited her as his date. Tina had to pinch herself, several times, to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It wasn't a dream, although it felt like one.

"Tina! Tina!" Her mother's voice shook the girl out of her reverie. "Let's go!"

Clarence watched her get into the beat up work truck. She felt totally humiliated.

* * *

**For those keeping score:**

**Clarence = Terence**

**Three guesses who Lord Milori is, and the first two don't count.**

**I hope everyone enjoyed this installment. As always, reviews are welcomed. Thank you.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 2, Chapter 4**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

An odd sound from her backyard caught Regina's attention. She went outside to find Emma Swan with a chainsaw cutting down a large branch from her prize Honey Crisp apple tree. Right then and there the two had an altercation, with Emma swearing that no matter what Regina tried to do to her, she would never back down. Regina was furious and called the sheriff to arrest her again.

**~O~**

Returning to the work site, Claire was pleased to see Valerie still working, though she had done very little in Claire's absence. Tina disembarked from the vehicle and went to work. She grabbed a nail magnet and began sweeping the area, picking up nails and other loose metals lying on the ground. It was a safety issue that Claire took very seriously.

One day a few years ago Claire called Charlie to meet him for lunch. He informed her that he was at the hospital. Apparently, he took a break to cool off and received a deep puncture in his thigh. A rusty nail was hiding in the grass and pierced his skin when he sat down. Charlie had to get a tetanus shot. Days later he returned to the hospital with a secondary infection resulting from the puncture.

Although Tina was very adept with most hand tools, this was always her first task when she came to work directly after school.

About an hour later Claire answered a call on her cell phone. The person on the other line told her that their sewer line was backing up. A plumber had come out and discovered that roots had invaded the aging pipe. The only option was to dig up and replace the old sewer pipe that ran from the house to the city line. She accepted since she desperately needed the job. With all of her labor tied up at this renovation project, Claire jumped into her truck and drove out to the other side of town to find more day laborers.

Two young men, one tall and fat with dark hair and a dim look on his face; the other short and skinny with a shock of red hair and wearing Coke Bottle glasses, stood out. They were front page news earlier in the year. The two were city employees working for the Department of Public Works. One Friday night they had too much to drink at The Rabbit Hole and on the walk home decided to have a light saber duel… with a pair of back hoes.

They were fired and faced still financial penalties for damaging city property. After the news article made their antics public knowledge, no one dared hire them as permanent employees. Now they lined up for day labor work every morning and they took whatever odd jobs they could find. Claire, not wanting to scare off her new client, passed them over.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (Approx. 950 A.D.)

Queen Clarion arrived at the border in the Autumn Forest, just as Lord Milori's note had requested. The winter fairies had departed for the mainland and he wanted some alone time with his beloved Ree. The queen wore a shawl. The autumn air was crisp and cool. She flew up to the border bridge, but there was no sign of him.

She called out to him. "Lord Milori. Lord Milori, I'm here as you requested."

Nothing. Not even a hello. "Milori, where are you?"

Still nothing. She waited for several minutes. Perhaps he was busy with something and couldn't make it. Clarion hovered near the border and peered across into the snowy world of the Winter Woods. She called out to him one or two more times before turning around to go back to the Pixie Dust Tree. Just as she was about to leave, Clarion noticed snowflakes falling around her.

"Snow? In the Autumn Forest?" She looked up and saw the Lord of Winter, standing on a tree limb making the flurries that were falling around her.

"I've been waiting," he said with a wicked smile.

Clarion was stunned and deeply worried for him.

"Milori! What are you doing? You're out of your season!" she said. "You must go back before your wings break."

"My wings feel just fine," he answered with a touch of whimsy in his voice.

"What?" Clarion flew up to him and settled on the branch. "You must go back, hurry. Hurry! You don't know how long before something terrible happens."

"Do not worry, my love, I've done this before," he admitted.

Clarion was shocked beyond all reason by what he said. "What do you mean you've been here before? When?"

After their skating date, Milori reasoned that if the air in the Autumn Forest was cool enough, it might allow winter fairies to cross into that season. At least for a little while. So he tried it, staying for a few minutes. Where the autumn air was cool and crisp to warm weather fairies, it felt warm and lite to a winter fairy. During this first excursion, he felt no ill effects and his wings never wilted or appeared to be in any danger.

A few days later, he tried it again, staying longer. The end result was the same. Milori experimented on several occasions, extending the length of his visit each time. He discovered that a winter fairy could be reasonably safe for about one hour before his or her wings began to feel any ill effect.

"We aren't confined to the border any longer, Ree," he told her.

Clarion looked as though a prayer had been answered. Several emotions ran wild through her heart. She started to cry, tears of joy and happiness streaking down her lovely cheeks.

"Now then, why don't you show me more of your world?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

"I would love to," she answered. The two lit off, the queen acting as his guide through the Autumn Forest.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Back at the Inn, Emma was told she had to leave. Granny explained that city had an ordinance barring felons from renting a room at any inn or hotel.

"Let me guess, the mayor called to remind you," Emma replied.

Emma took what few things she owned to her yellow VW Beetle only to find it booted. This could only be the doing of one person: Regina. Her cell phone rang. Speak of the devil. The mayor wanted to talk with Emma at her home, to make peace.

Earlier Regina demanded that Sheriff Graham arrest Emma for what she had done to the Mayor's apple tree. Graham, however, pleaded with Mayor Mills that arresting Ms. Swan would only strengthen her resolve. He also suggested that if she kept up this war, Henry would end up caught in the middle.

Regina welcomed Ms. Swan into her home and escorted her to the office. She expressed concern that Emma had intended to take Henry away from her and leave. Emma quieted her fears by telling her that she was only concerned about the boy's well-being, particularly in regards to his fairy tale theory, which Emma admitted sounded crazy.

"You think I'm crazy?"

Emma swung around and saw Henry, looking hurt and betrayed, standing behind her. She tried to explain herself, but he wanted none of it. Emma was incensed, she had been setup. Regina knew Henry's daily schedule and planned for Ms. Swan to be in her office where her son could hear their conversation. Getting Emma to say Henry was crazy with him listening would drive a wedge between them. One that would put so much distance between her son and Emma that it would force Ms. Swan to leave Storybrooke in defeat. The big smile on her face revealed how confident Regina was in her endgame. If she could, she would have run a victory lap.

**~O~**

The sun hung low in the western sky. The shorter autumn days prevented Claire from getting too much work done at the new job site. Her choices of day labor started digging as soon as they got there, but when the workday ended, each demanded full pay for the entire job upfront. She paid them only for the hours they worked and nothing more. She hated those kinds of people. Pay them in full and you will never see them again. Tomorrow she would have to find new help.

On the way to the renovation house to pick up her two girls, Claire stopped at the grocery store and bought a few things to make dinner. She included a half gallon of Rocky Road ice cream for dessert. She reasoned that offering some to Valerie was the lesser of two evils. Claire was exhausted and didn't want to provoke another tantrum from the girl.

When the three arrived at their home, Tina went to the dining room table to study, Valerie ran upstairs and locked herself in her bedroom and Claire took the bag of groceries into the kitchen. She sat down to catch her breath. Claire remembered what it was like when Charlie was still alive. He would come home late in the evening, exhausted from the long day, but always full of energy for his family. She and the two girls would run out to greet him and he would reciprocate by grabbing them into a giant bear hug.

"How are my best girls?" he would say to them. Every once in a while he would show up a little late with little gifts for his "best girls." A model airplane for Valerie, a toy for Tina and a rose or some chocolates for Claire. No matter how bad the day might have been, those kinds of moments always cheered her up.

Claire missed him so badly. She could use some of his cheering up right now.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

Milori held a cube of ice delicately between his fingertips. Clarion wrapped her lips around it. Ice cold water slipped down her tongue. It was exquisite.

Clarion lay on her back, the green grasses providing a comfortable bed for her. Milori, laying on his side, hung over her. He slowly moved the cube of ice from her lovely red lips to her chin and down her neck. Freezing water melted from the ice cube and trickled down into her cleavage. She found it an incredibly sensual experience.

Milori and Clarion were enjoying their time together. Perhaps a little too much. More than an hour had passed since the Lord of Winter crossed over into the Autumn Forest. He did not feel any different, other than feeling warm outside from the air, and warm inside from being side by side with the love of his life.

So entranced were the two lovers that they did not notice their environment. They were no longer in the cool Autumn Forest. The green grasses and trees that surrounded them were part of the Spring Season.

"Shouldn't you be going back?" she finally asked him, saddened to have to say it.

"What's wrong, tired of me already?"

"Never, my darling. But we cannot risk your health."

"I've never felt better."

He leaned down and kissed her.

**~O~**

The day seemed so short, yet the sun was slipping lower into the late afternoon sky.

"It has been so long since you've been out of your season, Milori," she said. "You should go back before something terrible happens."

"You worry too much," he answered.

"I worry because I love you so. Now please, for my own peace of mind, let us go back to the border."

He sighed. Milori learned that there was no arguing with her. "Very well."

The Lord of Winter helped his beautiful queen and love to her feet. She took his hand and together they flitted off to the winter border. A few seconds after leaving the ground, Milori fell out of the air.

The Lord of Winter groaned, a few mild aches from her had landed on the ground. He laughed. "I guess we walk back to the Winter Woods."

He waited for Ree to make some kind of sharp remark. She said nothing. Instead, she hung in the air, her back turned to him.

"Oh no," he heard her say.

"Don't worry, I'm fit enough to walk all the way," he quipped.

"Milori, no." Her voice trembled with fear. Clarion turned around. Held between her hands was part of a gossamer fairy wing. She looked pained and horrified.

Milori held his wings aloft to examine them. One of them had broken.

She gasped. Clarion lost her composure. "No. No no no no no. Maybe we can fix it. Yes, we can fix it."

Ree rushed to his side. She put the broken wing back into place. "See, its fine. You're fine."

The fragment came loose and fell again. She grabbed it and tried to replace it. It fell out again. She kept trying, becoming more and more frantic. "No, no this can't be happening. It has to work. Why won't it stay put?"

"Ree, stop."

"No, we can fix this."

"No. Ree. That's enough."

"Winter. We need to get back to winter. The cold air will mend your wing. Hurry, hurry."

"CLARION, STOP!" he yelled, grabbing her arm. "Nothing can fix a broken wing. You know that."

It was true. She burst into tears, nearly collapsing to the ground. Milori grabbed her in his arms and cradled her tight against his body.

"It's my fault, I should never have let you cross into the warm seasons," she said through her crying.

"No, my love, the fault rests entirely with me," Milori confessed. "I should never have been so careless."

**~O~**

"What should I do?" Queen Clarion asked of her friend.

"This rule you've written sounds rather extreme," Mary answered. Mary, a tinker fairy, was the queen's oldest and closest friend, having known each other since Clarion was a young princess.

The rule Clarion had written would close the border permanently. Crossing would be forbidden. No face to face contact would be allowed. Not even when transferring the animals who needed to hibernate every year from Autumn into Winter. The warm and cold seasons of Pixie Hollow would forever be isolated from the other.

"I can't have another fairy or sparrow man lose their wings, Mary," Clarion said, looking and sounding numb. "But if I do this, I'll never see Milori again."

"And you'll be breaking up guilds and close friendships, too," the tinker added.

Many guilds had members on both sides of the border: animal, tinker, light, garden, cooking, scout and others. Warm guild members often met with their winter counterparts at the border crossing sites to talk about their work and share stories. Many close friendships were formed this way. Several fairies on both sides had voiced a desire to cross to the other side and experience what their friends knew on a daily basis. This is what scared Clarion so much. Would some daring fairy or sparrow man believe themselves to be so indestructible that they would cross over and suffer the same fate as Lord Milori?

She could not let that happen. Even if meant giving up the person she loved most.

"It will be a terrible sacrifice you two will have to make," Mary told the queen.

"I know, Mary, but it is something we will both have to do," Clarion told her. "Milori and I cannot allow our personal feelings to get in the way of protecting those who are under our care. This border rule must be enacted…, immediately."

Clarion shut her eyes tightly and began to weep. "I'm going to miss him so much."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Young Henry Mills had retreated to the comfort of Dr. Hopper's office. He felt betrayed by the one person he thought he could trust with the secret of the curse. The one person he needed to believe him the most.

While they were talking, Emma came into the office to speak with Henry. She wanted to mend fences, but he wasn't in a mood for listening.

"You said I was crazy," Henry said accusingly. Emma admitted that she thought the curse was crazy. But that didn't mean it wasn't true. Henry had given his operation the code name "Cobra" because it had nothing to do with fairy tales. It was to keep his mother from finding what he was doing. Emma explained that she was doing the same thing to Regina, telling her what she need to hear to keep her in the dark.

The angry look on Henry's face changed into a beaming smile. "That's brilliant!" he said, commending her.

Then Emma took the pages Henry had torn out of the fairy tale book and tossed them into the fire. "These pages _are_ dangerous," she said. They revealed her identity as the savior, the one who would break Regina's spell. They could not afford to let her find out.

**~O~**

After leaving Dr. Hopper's office, Emma paid a visit to Mary Margaret Blanchard to say thank you and pay back the bail money Ms. Blanchard spent to get her out of jail. Mary Margaret invited Emma inside for some hot cocoa. Ms. Blanchard offered her the cocoa with whip cream and cinnamon. This was how Mary Margaret took her cocoa. Strangely, this was also how Emma drank her hot cocao.

"Why did you bail me out of jail?" Emma asked of her host.

"I felt like we've met before," she admitted. This struck Emma as another strange coincidence, especially in light of the fact that Henry thought Mary Margaret was Snow White, Emma's mother.

**~O~**

Mr. Gold paid a visit to Regina, offering to help her get rid of Ms. Swan, "for a price."

Regina had no interest in making deals with him. He reminded her that she had made a deal with him before, when he found Henry for her to adopt.

"How did you come up with that name for your son?" he asked her, almost knowingly.

Regina couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she got the impression Mr. Gold was hiding something. That maybe he remembered who he really was.

**~O~**

Claire put Tina to bed, pulling the covers over her to keep her warm through the chilly autumn night. "Good night, sweetheart," she said, kissing the young one on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Mom," a sleepy Tina replied.

Next she tried to do the same for Valerie, but she was already asleep. Or maybe just pretending. In spite of all that happened today, Claire still made sure Val was tucked in warmly. She whispered, "Goodnight, sweetie," and kissed her on the temple.

She stopped and took one last look back into Val's room before closing the door. Claire was reminded of a conversation she had a few years ago with one of Charlie's close friends. It was long after her husband had passed away. The man said that Charlie had one regret in life.

_"What was it?" she asked him._

_"Now don't take this wrong way, but he said that in marrying you he stole your dream."_

_"My dream? What was he talking about?"_

_"Your desire to become a concert pianist," he replied. "A while back Charlie heard you playing the piano and realized that you were good enough to play in the big times. He felt responsible for taking all of that away from you."_

In marrying Charles Valentine Kensington she gave up what she loved most. But in exchange she found something she loved even more: her two girls.

* * *

**End of episode 2. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Thank you.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
** A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
** Season 1, Episode 3, Chapter 1**

* * *

Takes place alongside events of the third episode from the first season titled Snow Falls.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

He wouldn't stop looking at her. Mary Margaret Blanchard was on a date with Dr. Whale, physician and surgeon at Storybrooke Hospital. Whale was ogling Ruby the waitress who always dressed in the skimpiest, most provocative attire she could. Tonight she was wearing red colored hot pants so tight and short that her tiny waitress apron looked huge by comparison.

Needless to say, the date ended early.

Dispirited, Mary Margaret walked home, wondering why she couldn't find true love. She noticed a yellow VW Beetle parked on the side of the main drag. Inside was Emma Swan, who was living out of her vehicle after getting kicked out of Granny's Inn.

This wasn't the worst thing she'd had to endure, Emma admitted. There wasn't a room to rent in all of Storybrooke, so her car would likely be her home until something came available. Mary Margaret said she had a spare bedroom and offered to take her in. Emma, always a loner, declined, but thanked her anyway.

**~O~**

Valerie was racing her Harley-Davidson motorcycle down the back roads of Storybrooke. Only the moonlight from above and the cycle's headlamp gave any view of the highway. She was playing a dangerous game, one that would have scared any other person. Valerie enjoyed the rush. It was the speed and the thrills she craved. Well into the night the dark haired girl rocketed through the woods. She felt free. Free from all responsibility; free from her mother; free from any comparisons to her perfect little sister; free from the cruel world where she felt trapped by everyone and everything around her.

This is why she wanted to fly. If only her father was still alive.

Sadly, all good things come to an end. Valerie returned home, poking along at a painfully slow 30 miles per hour through the city streets. The last thing she wanted was for the sheriff to give her a ticket. It wasn't that she couldn't afford it, she could, but a ticket meant another shouting match with her mother. It was after midnight and Claire could be such a bitch.

_I don't know what dad saw in her?_ she asked herself.

Val approached her house, an older two story Tudor style with dormers in the high peaked roof. The master bedroom on the upper floor had a porch that doubled as a carport. It gave a clear view of the front lawn and street. Her mother was sitting there drinking tea. Probably chamomile.

_Just my luck. The warden is watching._

Once inside Valerie ran upstairs. Her mother stood in the hallway blocking the path to the bedrooms. Her arms were crossed and she was visibly upset. "Where have you been?"

"Out," Val replied shortly.

"That's not an answer," Claire snapped. "You have to be up early tomorrow."

"So do you," Valerie answered. "Earlier in fact."

"Yes, and I should be asleep, but instead I'm up waiting and worrying about you."

"Then stop worrying," Valerie retorted, "I can take care of myself."

"If you could do that you wouldn't have to live here. You would have a college degree, a full time job that you would go to everyday and a place of your own," Claire shouted.

"You want me out of your house? Fine I'll be out your house," Val shot back.

"What I want is for you to stop behaving like a child and to start acting your age," Claire demanded.

Valerie just stood there, staring down her mother. "I wish dad had lived-."

"So do I, but he's gone. Nothing can change that," Claire told her.

Valerie narrowed her eyes. "I meant, I wish dad had lived and you had died." Valerie shot passed her mother and into her bedroom, closing the door behind.

"Valerie? Valerie you come out her this instant," Claire yelled through the door. "That is a horrible and mean thing to say!"

"It's supposed to be!" Val yelled back through the door.

"Mom?" Tina had opened her door and peeking into the hallway. "What's going on?"

Claire, who was five foot nine, went to her younger daughter, who barely stood five-two, and knelt down in front of her. She spoke in soft, quieting tones to the girl. "Oh, I'm sorry we woke you, honey. It's just your sister, she's being difficult again."

"Can't you make her stop?" Tina asked sleepily.

"I'm trying," Claire said, tugging the little girl's nightdress smooth and straightening her hair. "Now go back to sleep, okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

Claire kissed her little angel on the forehead and sent the child back to bed. Too tired to argue any more with Valerie, she retired to her bedroom. It was twelve thirty and she was only going to get five hours of sleep. Claire was going to drag through the entire day, even with coffee.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

"You're a girl!" James said, astonished.

"Woman," the bandit replied, just before clocking him in the head with a rock. Prince James was too stunned to hold her. The bandit leapt to her feet and escaped.

"I will find you!" James yelled to the woman who had just stolen his jewels and wedding ring.

Prince James was riding in a guarded carriage with his fiancée, Princess Abigail. She was a snobbish woman who complained about everything. When the convoy came to a sudden stop, James stepped out of the carriage to find out what was going on, leaving his leather pouch of jewels and wedding ring on the seat. The path was blocked by a fallen tree, but when studied up close it was clearly felled. That was when the bandit struck and stole the leather pouch. Now James had no ring to give to his wife to be. He had to get it back.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"MOM!" Tina yelled, shaking her mother. "MOM! Wake up!"

"It's too early, sweetie," Mrs. Kensington mumbled. "Go back to bed."

"Mom, it's seven o'clock. I have to be at school in an hour!"

Claire pried open her sleepy eyes and stared at the digital clock. It couldn't be that late, her alarm would have gone off, waking her at five thirty. She remembered that strange dream she had. The one where she kept looking for the off button on her alarm clock. Finally, Claire was able to shake off enough sleep to read the red, digital numbers. They said, 6:55 AM.

"OH CRAP!" Claire jumped out of bed and started scurrying around like a chicken with its head cut off. "I have to shower, but you have to eat, where is your sister?"

"She left this morning after eating corn flakes," Tina answered.

The older woman just growled under her breath. "Uh..., have you eaten?"

"Yeah, I had some corn flakes, too," she said. "With grapes."

Tina was fully dressed and waiting to leave for school. Claire still needed to brush her teeth, bathe, and use the toilet before getting dressed. Not enough time for all of that. Unless she brushed while in the shower.

By 7:40 Claire was downstairs and calling for Tina. The girl brought out a bowl of cornflakes with milk and green grapes. The woman smiled, Tina would do something sweet like that. Claire had to gulp down her food. She would be late to the renovation job site and called to one of the workers to let them know. The one big question that kept running through Claire's mind, however, was where to find Valerie.

** ~O~**

Mary Margaret's elementary school students were at the hospital putting up banners and posters to cheer up the patients. Ms. Blanchard had been volunteering at the hospital regularly, leaving flowers and offering to the patients comforting words and someone to talk to. Bringing her students would teach them the value of volunteerism and citizenship. All the children were actively involved in the project. With one exception, Henry. He was in a special ward where a patient named "John Doe" was kept. He thought that was the man's real name. It turned out that Mr. Doe was a comatose patient who had been in the hospital's care for as long as Ms. Blanchard could remember. No one knew who he really was.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (English Interregnum Period on the Mainland)

Late one evening a baby's first laugh found its way to the island of Never Land. It came clinging to a bloom from a Purple Leaf Plum Tree. The laugh, which had come a great distance, nearly got lost and had many adventures crossing the different lands and oceans before reaching Pixie Hollow. A fast flyer encircled the bloom, pushing it with gentle breezes towards a giant, maple tree that glittered with pixie magic.

When the bloom settled, a hefty looking man with orange hair and moustache brought out a cup with golden yellow pixie dust. He poured the dust over the white / pinkish bloom and it became a fairy with tall wings on her back. She was clothed in her bloom and had long, black hair that fell beyond her waist. She looked around and was surprised by the assembled crowd of fairies, all with smiles on their faces. Some, like a lovely red head, waved hello to her. The new fairy just cocked on eyebrow, unsure how to respond.

Someone announced, "Queen Clarion" and several flittering, fluttering orbs of living light swirled about as they approached the tree. Then those orbs collided in a brilliant flash. A moment later, a beautiful fairy appeared. She was tall, with honey brown hair, blue eyes, glimmering butterfly wings and wearing a crown that matched her long, shimmering dress.

"Born of laughter, clothed in cheer; happiness has brought you here," she said greeting the new arrival. "Welcome to Pixie Hollow. I trust you found your way alright?"

The new fairy with long, dark hair and lavender eyes seemed taken aback by the question. Then she crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes and answered, "Well, I'm here aren't I?"

The other fairies gasped in horror. No one talked to the queen that way. Suddenly, the mood changed. A minute ago, all the fairies were glad to see this new arrival. Now some were murmuring to each other, wondering if this one was going to be trouble.

The queen chuckled, "Yes, I suppose you're right." The queen set the fairy's wings and helped her to fly. The new fairy seemed most taken by this ability, zipping around the arrival area before settling down at a grand sight unfolding before her. Several mushroom pedestals popped up from nowhere. Fairies in different color clothes brought out icons that represented something important to each of them.

"What are these?" she asked the queen.

"These will help you find your talent?"

"And I'll know which one mine is by… what, a nametag?"

The queen chuckled again, "If only it were that easy. You will know when the time comes."

"Oka-ay." The newcomer walked over to a pedestal with a floating ball of water. She reached for it, but the water ball simply dropped and poured out all over the floor. The fairies dressed in blue looked rather disappointed. Then the new fairy touched a flower, which turned dark and wilted.

"Oh," mourned the redhead who was watching. She had a sweet smile.

Then the new fairy walked up to a hammer, suspended in air above another pedestal. She took hold of it, but it fell out of her hand. A stout looking woman with brown hair and dressed in green actually looked relieved by this development. The dark haired fairy saw this and glared in response. "I don't like green anyway," the young girl muttered.

When she finally came to a spinning cloud of dust, something amazing happened. It rose from its spot and glowed. Each time a fairy finds his or her talent, the symbol of that talent glows, its brightness revealing the strength of that fairy's talent.

This spinning vortex glowed so brightly it blinded everyone in attendance. Even the queen had to shield her eyes. Never in the long history of Pixie Hollow had a talent glow been so bright. Not even for Rosetta.

"I guess you're not the most talented fairy anymore," said one of her friends.

"Well, it had to happen sometime," she said with a pleasant, but regretful smile.

"Why her," whispered the stout woman in green to a lanky fellow with a shock of red hair and thick water goggles. Fortunately, the new arrival didn't hear that comment.

The queen turned to a group of fairies dressed in purple and announced, "Fast flyers, welcome the newest member of your talent guild, Vidia!"

Vidia, was presented to her new guild mates who embraced her immediately as one of their own.

"Wow, I can't believe how talented you are," one of the purple clad flyers said in awe.

"We are so lucky to have you in our guild," said another.

"You're going to love being a fast flyer, Vidia," a third said, putting his arm around her in greeting. "We're the best guild in all of Pixie Hollow. No other even comes close. Be proud that you're a fast flyer."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire had dropped off Tina at school. She was late and had to explain to one of the administrators what happened. Now she was on the way to the renovation job site when her cell phone rang. The owner of The Rabbit Hole called to inform her that Valerie was at the bar and that if she didn't pick up the girl right away he was going to have her arrested…, for solicitation.

* * *

**Note: Kathryn Nolan in Storybrooke is Princess Abigail in the Enchanted Forest.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading. Please leave a review.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 3, Chapter 2**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Interregnum Period on the Mainland)

Vidia was given a brief tour of Pixie Hollow. Her two guides, fast flyers Swift and Festus, were eager for her to become familiar with the different seasons. In the Spring Valley they showed her the cherry blossom trees, babbling brook and where the other talents spent their days prepping the animals for transport to the mainland for the spring season. In the Summer Glade, they showed her the colorful flowerbeds the garden fairies tended.

"This is where you'll be spending most of your time, Vidia," Festus told her. "We gather pollen into pots. Some of it goes to the mainland and some of it stays here so the garden fairies can keep growing new flowers."

"Watch this," Swift said. He descended to the flower bed where the red haired garden talent named Rosetta was working. Swift starting talking to her. Soon, she was blushing and then giggling. Finally, Swift reached over and kissed her on the cheek. Rosetta nearly swooned and looked totally love struck as he flew back to his companions.

"What was that about?" Vidia asked him. "You like her?"

Swift replied that he was stringing her along. "As long as she thinks I've got eyes for her, she'll make all the pollen we need for the spring." Flyers competed with garden fairies for pollen, the more flowers they grew the easier it was for the flyers to meet their annual quota.

"Isn't that kind of mean?" Vidia asked him.

"Now you're catching on," Swift replied. "Remember, we're the elite talent class. The fast flyers are what every other guild wants to be, but can't."

"Exactly," Festus said in agreement. "Be proud of what you are, Vidia. Don't let anyone tell you flyers are the same as any other talent. They are just trying to tear us down so they don't have to feel so bad about being inferior to us."

Vidia smiled. She liked feeling superior. "I'll remember that."

Festus and Swift took her into the Autumn Woods. She was delighted at the riot of colors found here. Her companions told her this was where she would learn how to blow leaves from the trees during the Fall season on the mainland. "Adult humans hate that because they have to clean up the mess, but their kids can't get enough," Swift informed her. "So we knock down as much as we can."

The two guides then brought Vidia to the border between the Autumn Forest and the Winter Woods. Vidia was amazed by what she saw. Like a sheer curtain, the cool, crisp environment of Autumn transformed into a glistening white carpet just the other side of the river. She plowed on ahead, excited to experience this wonderland. Festus flew out ahead of the eager, young flyer.

"STOP!" he cried. "Do not ever cross this border!"

"Why not?" she asked him.

"Here." Vidia was allowed to stick her arm into the winter side. She felt a terrific shiver go up her arm and into her spine. She recoiled, grasping her hand and arm and rubbing them to warm them up they were so cold.

"See? Now imagine what would happen to your wings if you crossed?" Swift explained. "They would freeze solid and break."

"Yup. For that reason alone it is against the law for fairies on either side to cross the border," Festus added.

"Not only that, but we don't tolerate carelessness or stupidity in our guild," Swift informed her. "If you lose your wings for doing something careless, stupid or reckless…"

"…or just plain against fairy common law…"

"…you'll be expelled from the guild forever."

"That sounds awfully harsh," Vidia said.

"Hey, you don't get to be the elite talent guild by coddling idiots," Swift told her. "So, don't be an idiot."

"Are you an idiot?" Festus asked her, his face right up into hers.

She backed away. "No. No, of course not. I'm a fast flyer, we're not idiots. Never."

"Good. Just what we wanted to hear," Swift replied.

"Yeah, cause you don't want to be cursed to live at ground level for the rest of your life."

"Ground level? Vidia asked.

The two smiled at each other. "Time for you to see your new home in The Nest."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire drove up to The Rabbit Hole and saw Valerie's motorcycle in the parking lot again. The sheriff's Ford Crown Victoria was parked right next to it.

_Oh no, she's getting arrested. I can't afford the bail money right now_, Claire thought. Inside, Sheriff Graham was seated at the bar. Men were gathering around the dart board where Valerie was shooting a game against an opponent. She was winning handily.

Claire walked to Graham and asked, "Are you going to arrest her?"

"I thought I would give you a chance to handle this before I got involved," he said. That was how this town worked. Unlike the impersonal big city, in Storybrooke, the sheriff was willing to allow families to resolve internal spats if he thought it was a better alternative than simply making an arrest. In this place, everyone knew everyone else's business and arrests always made their way into the newspaper. Something like that could scandalize and embarrass a family to their neighbors and friends.

"I asked the bartender to give you a call when he told me to arrest her," Graham told Mrs. Kensington. "She's been hustling the men at the dart boards ever since she arrived. Valerie has added a new wrinkle that I thought you should know about."

When the dart game ended, Val's opponent dropped his money on the table and walked off, unhappy, but not particularly angry. Then Valerie made an announcement that stunned Claire.

"All right, for all of you newcomers here are the rules," she said in a loud voice. She held up a large wad of money. "The name of the game is Cricket. If you can beat me, five will get you ten; fifty gets you one hundred and five hundred will get you a thousand."

She was playing for big money today, Claire realized.

A tall, trashy looking man walked up and asked the raven haired girl, "What if I put down one thousand? What does that get me?"

Valerie put her hands to her breasts and slowly ran them down her body. "You can have all of this for one…whole…night."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Claire yelled.

"HMMPH, what do you want?" Valeria said gruffly to her mother.

"You will not do this! Now get in the truck this instant, young lady," Claire said angrily.

"NO!" Valerie shot back.

"Do you want to get arrested?"

"I don't care. You made something abundantly clear last night, _mother dear_. The only way I'm going to live my life the way I want to is get out of that hellhole you call a house."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know providing a roof over your head, putting food in your stomach and clothes on your back was considered a hellhole in this country," Claire roared.

"You treat me like I don't matter, so I'm leaving. It's not like you'll ever miss me," Valerie answered. "Okay, who wants in?"

"I do!" Claire said. She put down a wad of money. One thousand dollars. "Here are the rules, if you win this money is yours and you can go live where ever you want and do as you please. But if I win, you come with me and do as I say."

"Hello! Mother on daughter, I'd pay to see that," the trashy man said with a gleeful smile.

"SHUT UP! You're a pervert!" Claire yelled at the man.

"You come home with me and you stop acting like a spoiled brat," Claire demanded of Valerie. "You show up to work on time, you do your job like everyone else and you sell that death machine you have parked outside."

"Fine, but I won't lose."

Claire was taking a huge risk doing this. That money was owed to the pawnbroker Mr. Gold on a loan he made to her so she could keep the business afloat. Her savings were running low and she needed money to pay day laborers, buy equipment and pay her income tax bill. The collateral she put up for the loan was the house. If she lost the money and couldn't find a way to pay the man, she would lose the house and everything in it.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The female bandit was gathering her few personal belongings, which included a necklace. The pendant attached was a clear, decorative vial which contained some kind of glittering dust. After donning a cloak to hide her identity she exited her hiding place, the entrance of which was giant, hollow log. She had to keep moving. When you steal from a peasant no one cares, but steal from a royal and they will come searching for you. A fact that was brought home when a huge net captured her and pulled the woman high into the air.

A man emerged from behind one of the giant pine trees with a look of satisfaction on his face. She recognized him, that prince she stole the bag of jewels from in the woods the other day. The one who said he would find her.

"Is this the only way you can get a date?" she asked in a snippy, defiant tone.

"It's how I catch thieving scum like you," he answered her.

"Charming."

"My name is James," he said.

"Don't care. Charming suits you," she answered, completely unafraid of him.

Prince James demanded his bag of jewels. He explained that these were special, particularly a ring which once belonged to his mother. James was to present it to his new fiancée.

"The nag with the bad attitude?" she said, sounding rather amused. "Good luck with that."

James continued to demand the return of his jewels, but she had sold them. He demanded to be taken to whomever bought them. The bandit steadfastly refused. At least until he revealed his ace in the hole. James pulled a wanted poster from his tunic. It identified her as Snow White, wanted by Queen Regina for numerous crimes against the crown. If she didn't take him to the jewels, he would turn her over to the queen.

"She won't be as 'charming' as I am," he said, turning her own words against her.

With no other recourse, Snow White agreed.

**~O~**

During their journey Snow White and Prince James began to talk. He noticed the pendant hanging from her neck. She refused to discuss it. James snatched it from her and Snow White pleaded for its return. The vial contained a special kind of fairy dust that could turn an enemy into something easily defeated. She was saving it for someone in particular.

"The Queen," James immediately surmised. Snow White told him that the accusations on the wanted posters were phony. Regina wanted her because Snow had ruined Regina's life.

At a river, Snow stopped for a drink and to wash her face. It was only a ruse as the woman knocked Prince James into the river. She made her escape only to be surrounded by Regina's black clad knights. By the queen's order, they were going to cut out her heart. They were stopped by James who had climbed out of the river and assailed one of the nights from afar with a dagger. Then he attacked, engaging the men in a swordfight and defeating them handily

During the fracas, Snow made for a horse but was taken up by one of the knights on horseback. James took a bow and arrow and cut down the rider, freeing the bandit. Feeling obligated, Snow White guided Prince James to their destination.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire had started the game of Cricket rather shakily and fell behind quickly. Valerie was certain she was going to win and get her independence. Her mother, though, soon found her groove. Claire used to play darts in college and had gotten very good at it. She hadn't played since getting married, but it was all coming back to her now. Claire began to close out numbers that Valerie had opened to prevent her from scoring additional points. Meanwhile, she also hit numerous times in numbers she had opened to catch up in the score.

Valerie, who had to the most to lose, was beginning to feel the pressure. Her aim began to drift. She failed to close out the twenty and Claire nailed it for a double and two triples, pulling close. Next, Valerie shot for the Bullseye and hit around it. Claire managed to close it by hitting the center ring once and the outer ring once. The third shot went back to the twenty pulling her ahead of Valerie for the first time all game.

A huge crowd had gathered and were amazed by how close the game had become. With each strike, the electronic board tallied up the score and kept track of which numbers were open and which were closed. All that was left was one strike on the twenty and two for the seventeen. The twenty was Valerie's to close out. The seventeen, whether by accident or design had never been opened by either woman and it became the focus for both players. Claire, having opened or closed all the other numbers from 15 – 20 except this one only needed two hits to finish the game.

Valerie needed all three to open it and score more points. She couldn't score in the twenty since Claire had opened that number. She could only close the number with a strike and take it out of play. But she couldn't do that just yet. If she closed the twenty and then successfully opened the seventeen in that order the game would end with Val short of points. Claire would win. She had to keep the twenty open, even though it exposed her. Claire could keep scoring points in that number, but it was now the only way to win. However, it all hinged on her mother not making the needed shots to close out seventeen. If she did, then the rest was academic.

It was Claire's turn. She hit the seventeen with her first shot, one more to win. Valerie's heart sunk like a rock. Claire's second shot missed right and hit the two in the treble ring. No points were added since numbers below fifteen are not part of Cricket. It all came down to this. If her mother ended the game on this shot, Valerie would have to give up everything she wanted. If she missed, Val could hit the seventeen with a double and a single or a triple to open it and take the lead then hit the twenty to win the game.

Claire drew in a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. She took the last dart and lined up her shot. The onlookers went deathly silent. Claire drew back and let her dart fly.

It struck seventeen. Game over. Claire had successfully filled her game board and had the higher score.

Mrs. Kensington reclaimed her thousand dollars and took her daughter by the arm and dragged her out of the bar. Valerie, defiant in any way she could, wasn't going to ride in that truck. She wriggled free and jumped on her bike.

"Valerie! Valerie that was not in our agreement. You get back here this instant, young lady," Claire shouted. The noise of the twin cam engine drowned out Claire's voice. Unable to reason with her, she climbed into the old work truck and tried to follow the disobedient girl. Valerie turned into a residential neighborhood with Claire right behind, trying not to break the speed limit. It soon dawned on Claire that Valerie was going to the renovation site. When she pulled up to the house, there was Valerie, putting on gloves and donning a hard hat. She was clearly pissed. The girl ducked into the house and started working, cursing her mother under her breath for the rest of the day.

**~O~**

The bell for lunch sounded at the high school. Tina got in line for today's special, mystery meat. It looked like chopped steak, but no one really knew what was in it. While waiting to be served the awful stuff her phone jingled. She answered.

"Hi, Tina!" It was Clarence.

Tina was visibly excited. "Hi! I mean, hi."

He chuckled. "I'm calling because I wanted to tell you something. I bought a car."

"You did? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, you want to come by this weekend and take a drive in it?"

"Would I? Of course I wou-. Oh wait, my mother has some family thing planned. I hate those."

"Oh, well, maybe another time," he said, sounding very disappointed.

"No, wait. I'll think of something. I'll be there this weekend."

"I don't want to keep you away from family time."

"Please, you'll be doing me a favor. All Mom and Valerie do these days is argue and glare at each other."

"Okay, if I'm not getting you in any trouble."

"Nope, no trouble at all."

Tina said goodbye and put her phone back into its holster. _I'll just tell Mom I'm studying. She'll let me out of anything if she thinks I'm studying._

* * *

**Yay, new chapter. I hope I got the rules correct for Cricket. If I'm wrong, please don't tell me. Well, okay, tell me.  
**

**Thanks to everyone who has posted a review and to everyone who has been reading. Thank you all, very much. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 3, Chapter 3**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Interregnum Period on the Mainland)

To be properly presented to the others in her guild, Vidia was first taken to the dressmakers. A clothing talent sized her up immediately and asked if Vidia knew what style of clothing she wanted. Vidia wasn't sure yet, so the clothing fairy quickly made up a pretty purple two piece outfit. A pullover top with no sleeves and a dress with petals for a hemline. Lastly, a pair of shoes with the toes slightly curled up finished the ensemble.

Vidia wasn't sure about it. "A dress doesn't exactly feel like me," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Festus told her. "Once you figure out your style, the clothing talents will make it for you."

"And it will be a perfect fit every time," the dressmaker said.

**~O~**

From the dressmakers the trio flew off towards the piney woods. Here, situated high up in the trunks of the pine trees was the fast flyer's home village which they referred to as The Nest. Holes with doors indicated homes for the fairies. Each of the flyers dressed in purple.

"It's our guild colors," Swift explained.

Running between the many towering trees were catwalks, though hardly anyone used them. Surrounding the trunks where a door was found were planks of wood making a porch with a railing. On these porches Vidia found personal touches and decorations. Plants, feathers, tapestries and anything else that helped make each house a home for its resident flyer.

Vidia was shown to her place, a large one room apartment. It had several amenities available to her including a bed, sofa, table, chairs, a recliner, running water in a sink and even a kitchenette. Two windows on opposite sides let in the morning and evening sunlight. The place, however, was rather bland. "It's yours to decorate as you please," Festus said.

"Who made these rooms?" Vidia asked.

Woodpeckers under the guidance of the animal fairies carved out the rooms. The walls, floors and ceilings were smoothed and finished by the tinker fairies. They even included several flourishes like a carving in the wall with the fast flyer guild symbol.

"They did all of this?"

"Uh huh, they even make the furniture for us," Swift commented.

"Fascinating, if I couldn't be a fast flyer then I would want to be a tinker," Vidia said with awe.

Both Swift and Festus nearly choked on their own tongues. "You do not want to be a part of that nasty guild," Swift told her. "Trust us. They are the last guild you want to be born into. Worse than even the animal fairies."

"Really? Why?"

"C'mon, you'll see."

"I thought we we're going to meet with the other fast flyers?" she asked.

"Yeah, but right now we need to educate you on the perils of being a tinker fairy," Festus answered.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Barely an hour after arriving at the renovation house and just before her scheduled lunch break, Claire received a call from the sheriff. Her thoughts immediately went to Valerie, but the girl was hard at work slathering mud on dry wall.

"Mrs. Kensington, you're needed at the Collingsworth place," he told her. "She has a complaint."

In the background she could hear an extremely irate Desiree Collingsworth screaming, "You're damn right I've got a complaint. That woman is a thief."

"I'll be right there, Sheriff." In a flash Claire was back in the truck and on her way. Mrs. Kensington was worried. This was the house with the bad sewer line that the hired help just finished replacing. Hopefully the work wasn't faulty. She would have to pay out of her own pocket to fix it. She couldn't afford such an outlay.

Desiree Collingsworth was a minor celebrity in Storybrooke. She was one of the hosts of _Storybooke This Morning_, the early morning talk show that Claire watched while cooking breakfast for Val and Tina. Desiree had money and a public forum to express her discontent whenever she felt like it and she often did. The woman was the demanding, aristocratic type with a fiery temper to match her red hair and screechy southern drawl. She held back nothing and could wither even the staunchest soul. Only Mayor Regina Mills or Mr. Gold could frighten this woman.

When she arrived at the large house Claire could see the irate tv host standing in her backyard talking with the sheriff. Next to the law officer was a well-dressed African American gentleman. That was Sidney Glass, the lead reporter for the town's newspaper, The Daily Mirror. It wasn't enough that she might get a bad review on television, but the newspaper might do a story on it. Talk about a double whammy.

"Hello, Sheriff Graham. Hello, Mr. Glass. Good morning Ms. Collingsworth," she greeted, a worried smile on Claire's face. "What seems to be the problem?"

"The problem?!" the Collingsworth woman screeched. "The problem? I'll tell you what the problem is, Mrs. Kensington. You're a thief is what the problem is!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Ladies, ladies please," Graham said, trying to intercede. "Let's not do anything we might regret."

"She already did, sheriff," Desiree yelled. "Arrest her for Grand Larceny. For Grand Theft. For Grand something."

"What did she supposedly steal?" Mr. Glass asked the angry redhead. "My iPad, that's what. I use it to prepare and coordinate for my show. I need it this weekend so I can be ready for Monday morning and this little weasel stole it from me."

"Enough!" Graham insisted. "Did you see Mrs. Kensington steal your tablet computer?"

"No, it wasn't her directly," Desiree said. She told the sheriff that yesterday, the workmen were backfilling the hole they had to dig up to replace the old sewer line. One of the men needed to come into the house to use the facilities. Collingsworth was certain he was the person who stole her precious iPad.

"Maybe he fancies himself a modern day Robin Hood," Desiree cooed. "You know, steal from poor little rich girls like me to give to the great unwashed masses. Like her."

Claire stiffened at the insult.

Desiree went on to say how with the job complete she went to work this morning and couldn't find her iPad. She spent the better part of the day exhaustingly make her personal secretary search the studio and then the large dream house. The Collingsworth woman always seemed to emphasize that her home was "large" and a "dream house." However, despite all the work that the secretary had done, the iPad was nowhere to be found.

"I know one of her people stole it," Collingsworth yelled. "They work for you so I'm holding you responsible. Don't you do things like background checks on your people before hiring them? If my property can't be found then I'll take this matter to court where I'm sure I'll be able to get my say."

_She's said enough already_, Claire thought.

Graham asked Mrs. Kensington to produce a list of her employees. Embarrassed, Claire had to confide in the sheriff that she had used day labor. Ever since Charlie's death, Claire had much difficulty running the business and had to cut costs by letting go the regular workers Charlie relied on. She would call them in on an as needed basis. For work like this, where the digging didn't need trained individuals who would charge a high hourly rate, she hired day laborers.

"YOU WHAT?" Desiree screeched again. "Day labor? You let those mongrels on my property? In my house? I'll sue, so help me I will."

"That's enough," Graham instructed Ms. Collingsworth.

"Your husband would never let day laborers dirty up his good reputation," Collingsworth stated. "God rest his soul, but if he could see you now that man would be sorely disappointed. I know I am."

"Ms. Collingsworth that will do," Sheriff Graham said with forcefulness in his voice. He turned back to Claire and asked for a list of all the people she had hired the last few days. She pulled out a notebook with all the names on her payroll. It listed what days were worked, the number of hours and rate of pay. Graham thanked Claire for the cooperation and set about to investigate.

"And what about Ms. Collingsworth's tablet computer," Sidney Glass queried.

"Most likely whoever stole it might try to pawn it at Mr. Gold's shop." Graham would have the pawnbroker contact his office with information. He got a list of all distinguishing marks from Collingsworth, including a serial number and the fact that it was engraved on the back. That should make it easy to recover.

Sidney then tried to pester Claire for a comment on the accusation. She would only give a no comment before getting back into her truck. Claire was shaken by the ordeal. This had the potential to drastically hurt her business. The reputation her husband had worked so hard to build up had been slowly fading since his death. This would be the nail in the proverbial coffin.

Mrs. Kensington was at wits end. She had already dealt with her ever increasingly defiant daughter earlier this morning. Now there was this accusation of theft which could become a front page news story. She felt her already fragile standard of living slipping away. If this broke into a scandal, and in this town it was a scandal, her days as a contractor would be over. She could lose the house before the end of the year. It would make for the worst Christmas her family had ever suffered.

What hurt more, however, were those awful words. _Charlie would be so disappointed in her_. Would he? She was letting down her husband, her two children and herself. It all got to her while she was driving back to the renovation house. Claire started to breath erratically and her vision wasn't right. She wasn't exactly certain where she was anymore. Anxiety set in. Anxiety of the present and an uncertain future began overwhelming her.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Interregnum Period on the Mainland)

"Smell that?"

Vidia, Swift and Festus all took a deep breath. All three nearly wretched.

"Oh, what is that?" she asked wincing.

"That, sweetie, is the sweaty, steamy smell of the tinker fairies," Festus told her.

"Tinker fairies? They should be named Stinker fairies. Woo, that's bad," Swift joked. "Notice that they live and work in a big hole in the ground?" Vidia nodded. "Know why? It's so that their disgustingly horrid B.O. doesn't foul the rest of Pixie Hollow. I mean who wants to smell that all day?"

"I hear some of them don't even take baths," Festus added. "They just build up layer upon layer of dirt and sweat and never wash it off."

"Ugh, that's awful," Vidia said feeling a bit nauseous. "How can they stand it?"

"I guess you just don't have any sense of smell when you're born a tinker," Festus said with a sly grin.

Swift pointed out that all flyers were required to bathe regularly. At least once a day. "Festus here bathes twice a day. Once in the morning and a second time before bed."

"Yup, and I always smell oh so sweet."

It was also required for flyers to keep their wings clean. No one wants to see a fast flyer with dirty wings. So wing washing session were held once a week and attendance was mandatory whether it was needed or not.

"Why so much emphasis on things like bathing and wish washing?" Vidia asked.

"To be the best you have to maintain a higher standard than all the other guilds," Festus told her.

"Yeah, if we don't then it gives these stinky tinkers and animal fairies all the ammunition they need to claim they're equal to us," Swift added.

"And we're not, right?" Vidia half said, half asked.

"Nope, we're better. Superiority isn't just what we do, it's what we're born with," Swift said with emphasis. "But you can't claim to be superior if you act inferior."

"Got it," Vidia said. "I am going to like being a fast flyer."

"Good, now, it's time to present you to your new guild mates."

**~O~**

Vidia was taken from Tinker's Nook to a large structure built into the thickest tree in the piney woods not far from The Nest.

"This is our tavern, The Happy Flyers Wind Riding Club" Festus pointed out. The three went inside. Vidia saw several fairies wearing purple. Each of them had longer wings compared to the other fairies who were also there. The extra length meant flyers could grab more air and move through the air faster.

Every guild had a watering hole like this, Vidia was told, and each one was open to every guild in Pixie Hollow by order of the queen. But the fast flyers didn't like sharing their space with the others, so every night they would shut the doors to the other guilds, allowing only the flyers to have the hall entirely to themselves. Swift told her, "It's what we like to call, taking out the trash."

"Attention everyone, attention!" Swift yelled from atop an empty table. "I would like you all to meet our newest guild member, Vidia. She also has the distinction of having the greatest talent glow ever seen at an arrival ceremony. And she is ours. So the rest of you poor saps can just eat your hearts out."

The flyers in the club stood up and cheered. They whooped, hollered, applauded, and banged their cups on the table and pretty much made a huge racket to welcome their latest addition.

"Do us proud, Vidia," one flyer shouted.

"We'll help you all we can," another said.

"You ended up in the right talent guild," a third yelled.

"Okay, okay. Now, who wants to be the first to buy this lovely lady a drink?" Swift asked. Every sparrow man in the room, even those from other guilds, jumped up out of their seats practically begging to be her first benefactor.

"Welcome to the Fast Flyers' Talent Guild, Vidia," Swift told her. "Get used to people doing your bidding, it's what we strive for."

* * *

**Thanks to Tabithaeconwood, Clarionromance23, I Luv Milarion 1201, Milarionized, Larki13, Milarionfan, Julie662 and Rosie0522 for all of your wonderful reviews. Thanks to everyone who has been reading my story. I am ever so grateful for your loyal readership.**

**Note: The name for the Happy Flyers Wind Riding Club was inspired by the real life Happy Bottom Riding Club where test pilots used to hang out during the days of test flying jets at Edwards Air Force Base. It was featured in the film _The Right Stuff_.**

**If you haven't looked it up on Wikipedia yet like I did, The Interregnum Period in England occurs between 1649 and 1660 during which England suffered through quite a bit of political unrest and upheaval beginning with the removal of a monarch and ending with the restoration of the monarchy. It makes for a good read, but don't take my word for it.**

**Lord Milori / Hartley Winter will be featured in the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 3, Chapter 4**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma Swan was sitting at an outdoor table in front of Granny's Diner. She was perusing the newspaper still looking for an apartment or room to rent. Emma was becoming more and more concerned with Henry's well-being. She had decided to stay in town more than a week to watch over him and make sure her son was in good hands. A cup of hot coffee sat in front of her. She took a sip and saw a middle aged man exiting the hardware store a few doors down.

The man was rather tall; she judged him to be about six foot two or six three. He had salt and pepper hair with more white than black. The man was dressed in a one piece work uniform. Emma took another sip of her coffee before going back to her paper.

"Nothing in this town for rent," she said. "That is so weird." She amusingly entertained the idea that maybe Henry's curse didn't want her to find a place to stay.

"More coffee?" a pleasant female voice asked her. Her waitress was Ruby a tall, dark haired beauty whom she had seen her first day in Storybrooke. She was the girl arguing with her grandmother at the Inn. "Granny" as everyone called her owned both the diner and the inn. Ruby, it turned out, was her granddaughter. The woman was dressed in the most inappropriate attire for waitressing. Her long hair had streaks of red, which were accented by ruby red lips, bright red hot pants and even brighter red stiletto heels. Ruby's work shirt was mostly unbuttoned creating a plunging neckline and was tied off at the bottom, baring the young woman's midriff.

Despite her status in Storybrooke as the easiest woman in town, Ruby still possessed a cheery personality and winning smile. Emma thought it ironic because she embodied the old cliché of the whore with a heart of gold.

"Sure, Ruby, top me off," Emma replied, holding her half empty cup. When the cup was filled, Ruby looked up and waved to someone. Ms. Swan saw that same man wave back. He smiled at the waitress pleasantly and stepped into the street, walking towards the diner.

"Your friend is here," Ruby yelled nicely to the man. Emma was able to get a closer look. Although she couldn't be certain his features looked European, possibly British. He had a strong jaw, nice smile and charming looks.

"Coffee?" Ruby asked. The man nodded from the street. "Okay." Ruby waved again and was about to go into the diner when she noticed something approaching the pedestrian. Emma saw it, too and yelled, "Hey! Hey!" pointing at the vehicle. The man looked a bit confused, and then turned to see the truck bearing down on him. Emma tackled him, pushing the man out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. She had leapt from her table and into the street with a flash.

The truck screeched to a halt.

"Aren't you paying attention to the road?" Emma yelled to the driver. "You could have gotten someone killed."

The driver, a middle aged woman that Emma recognized, but couldn't immediately place, stepped out of the truck. She appeared badly shaken. "Did I hit anyone? Are you okay?" the driver asked, her voice trembling.

Ruby, the carafe still in her hand, came running into the street. "Claire, are you alright? What happened?"

"I..., I don't know," she replied anxiously. "Did I hurt anyone?"

"You nearly ran this guy over," Emma yelled, furious. That's when Ms. Swan noticed the ball cap. The same one she saw while in jail. This was Claire Kensington. Her older daughter was the one who had been brought in by the sheriff for hustling people at the bar.

Emma calmed down a bit. "You could have run this man over," she said in a more civil tone of voice.

Claire looked over to where the man was now standing. She gasped. "Did I hurt you, sir?" she asked him, aghast.

"I'm fine, this young lady pushed me out of the way just in time," he said, pointing to Emma.

Claire started to breath rapidly and shallow. She leaned up against the truck and looked disoriented. "Not again, not again, not again," she kept mumbling.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked her. "She doesn't look very good."

"I think she's having a panic attack," Emma said. "We need to get her to the hospital."

"I'll take her," the middle aged man said.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked him. "You might need a doctor, too."

"Well, then it's lucky I'm going to a hospital," he said with a grin.

Claire began to hyperventilate. "Ruby, get a bag," Emma instructed. The young woman dashed into the diner and returned a few seconds later with a brown paper bag. Emma put the mouth of the bag to Claire's face to help her regain her normal breathing. When she did, Ruby and Emma helped Claire into the passenger side of the truck. The man stepped up into the driver's side.

"Ruby, would you please be a dear and tell Ned I won't make it for lunch," he told the waitress in a smooth baritone. He spoke with an English accent that sounded of sophistication and education.

"Sure thing, Hartley," the waitress replied.

"Thank you, Ruby." He turned to Emma. "Thank you, Miss..,uh-."

"Swan, Emma Swan," she answered.

"Thank you, Ms. Swan, for your timely intercession."

"Yeah, sure, no problem."

He smiled, and then drove off towards Storybrooke General Hospital.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (the Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia had noticed some of her guild wearing purple feathers in their clothing. Swift told her that the plumage came from a handful of rare birds that lived only on Never Land Island. The last of their kind, he said. Every year the birds molted, losing all of their feathers. Fast flyers gathered them to give out to those members of the guild who had earned them through some act of bravery or excellence. It was a mark of respect and gave the wearer a certain amount of status within the guild. The more feathers one earned, the more respect and the higher the status.

Vidia wanted to know how she could earn them. Festus said he had some ideas. Tasks to perform that, if done to their satisfaction, would qualify her to earn a rare purple feather.

Her training thus far had been mostly tedious, though nothing too demanding for Pixie Hollow's most talented fairy. What she hated was all of the hazing she was forced to endure. It was humiliating and frustrated her to no end. Yet she held her tongue. Vidia was told at the beginning that to become a well-rounded and accepted member of the guild she had to make it through all of the hazing rituals.

"You can speak to no one of this," Swift and Festus mandated. If she talked to one of the other guild members they might accidentally tell her what to expect. That would be cheating. If she went to the guild master or Queen Clarion, she would be vilified as a coward for not enduring what everyone else had to.

"You'll be forced to live in the sour plum tree," they told her. The sour plum tree was a small, scraggly tree that grew at the edge of cliff which overlooked the pine forest and The Nest. This, according to Swift and Festus, was where cowards and traitors went to live. The door opened to ground level, an insult to fast flyers, she had been told. Second, by overlooking the forest, it was a daily reminder of what they had lost and could never get back.

She absolutely didn't want to live there in shame. Instead, she wanted the respect that the feathers represented. Since she was the greatest talent in the guild and all of Pixie Hollow, Vidia had to set the standard and earn as many feathers as she could.

Festus and Swift were more than willing to oblige.

Her first task was to go outside the boundaries of Pixie Hollow into the wild lands to the southwest. Blueberries grew there. These were the same kind of berries that the garden fairies grew for use in the kitchens. However, because they grew wild rather instead of being carefully cultivated, the taste of these berries was different. They had more zing and a stronger flavor. The cultivated berries were grown specifically for use in cooking. The wild berries were best eaten with cream or all by themselves.

"They are very special and highly prized," Swift told her. So why didn't everyone pick them, Vidia wanted to know. The wild lands were filled with predators that could hurt or kill a fairy. Few would dare venture into the wild lands for any reason, much less berries. The dangers were many.

"You have to watch over shoulder constantly," Festus said. "A snake might gobble you up, or a hawk will grab you. A coyote or wolf might snap you up in one gulp. Barely half of the fairies who venture there make it back."

"Less than half," Swift amended.

"Ri-ight, less than half. Now, are you brave enough to retrieve those berries for us?" Festus asked. "Or should we just give those feathers to another, more worthy flyer?"

Vidia was frightened by the prospect of losing her life. She had just barely arrived. But she wanted those feathers badly. "Okay, I'll do it. I'm no coward."

"Good, meet us at the club tomorrow morning before the sun rises," Swift instructed. "We will take you to that border for your test."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina waited outside the school. The final bell rang a while ago and there was no sign of her mother or that ratty old truck she drove. Clarence wasn't on this route today; someone else was, so she never got to talk to him about his car.

The crush of students reduced to a steady stream, then a trickle, now just a smattering. More than half an hour had passed and Tina was getting a bit worried. She sat down in front of the school on a bench and sighed. "Where are you, Mom?"

**~O~**

"Mr. Winter?" a voice called out. Hartley Winter sat in the waiting area of the Emergency Room. When he had arrived with Claire two orderlies came out to help him. Yet once inside she had to wait to see a physician. Finally, a nurse received Mrs. Kensington, taking down all of her necessary information, in this case her insurance. Hartley had no idea where she kept such identification and fumbled through her billfold looking for it. Once checked in, there was more waiting. Finally, Dr. Whale emerged and took Mrs. Kensington to a room for examination. That was the last he had seen of her until now.

"Are you related to the patient?" the nurse asked.

"No, I brought her to be looked after," he said.

"She will be fine," the nurse told him. Without divulging too much personal information about Mrs. Kensington he learned that she had an anxiety attack. "She is calm now and can go home. We recommend that she not drive today."

"Very good," he answered.

**~O~**

Dr. Whale informed Mrs. Kensington that beyond the anxiety, she was under constant high stress and suffered from a lack of sleep and poor nutrition. Further, her blood pressure had spiked to dangerous levels and he prescribed Lisinopril, 10mg daily, to bring it under control.

"You need to be careful or else you'll give yourself a heart attack," he warned her. Claire had complained of chest pains while in the hospital. "Not a fake one, like today," he added, "but a real heart attack. You may not be so lucky in the future."

That was what was bothering her, she explained. Her future, and the future of her children, seemed very uncertain. She described everything that had been bothering her lately, including the events of last night and this morning.

Dr. Whale offered a comforting smile. "Maybe you should spend some time with Doctor Hopper," he suggested. "He might be able to help you overcome your anxieties. Then maybe a solution will present itself to you."

She nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. I will."

When the exam ended, Claire grabbed her things and walked down the hall to the waiting area. Dr. Whale looked over his shoulder at her walking away. "That woman has one nice rack," he said of her. "And her ass isn't bad, either."

A nurse happened by and overheard him. Disgusted, she sneered, "It's nice to know that in our day and age, there are still Neanderthals like you walking around."

Whale turned to her and snapped, "Get back to work."

**~O~**

"How are you feeling?" Hartley asked Mrs. Kensington. Hartley Winter knew of Mrs. Kensington through her now dead husband, Charlie. Though they had never formally met, Hartley had always considered her a beautiful woman and envied Charlie for having married her. "What greater cruelty can be visited upon our gender, then for the loveliest creature to ever walk the earth be put beyond our reach?" he used to say with sly grin.

Hartley was never into American sports like baseball or football. He was an aficionado of British sports teams and avidly followed soccer. Yet he and Charlie often met at the bar to watch the one sport they both liked: horse racing. It was there that the two discussed business deals and kept their association and friendship intact. After Charlie's untimely passing, Hartley stayed away from Claire lest he make a clumsy pass at her and create friction where none existed.

Now, eight years later Hartley still thought Mrs. Kensington was as fetching as the day he first saw her. Somehow, the woman never seemed to age. Ned, Hartley's business partner, caustically suggested she had been using facial creams or had gotten Botox injections. Hartley dismissed it as nonsense and described her as a rare and glorious woman whose beauty does not fade or pass with time.

_Why not ask her out_, Ned often suggested. Hartley wanted to, but he recognized that Claire was still too emotionally attached to the memory of her dead husband to entertain the prospect of romance. Until she was ready to move on, Hartley would keep his distance.

"I'm fine," Claire answered. "I just need rest…, maybe a vacation."

He laughed. "Let me take you home, then."

Claire thanked him. When they got into her truck, however, she remembered something that had been nagging at her for the last half hour. "I have to pick up my daughter from school!"

"Then it is off to collect the dear girl," he said, slipping the vehicle into drive.

**~O~**

At his "castle" Henry met up with Emma. "I know who your father is," he told her. Flipping through his fairy tale book, he came to a page with a rendering of a handsome prince. He said that John Doe was Prince Charming and showed her the picture as proof. Emma didn't see the resemblance. Henry pointed out that the man in the book had a scar, just like John Doe. This proved nothing to Emma.

"Lots of people have scars," she said.

"In the same place?" he asked. Indeed, the comatose John Doe had a scar on the right side of his chin. The exact same place that the Prince Charming had in the color drawing shown in Henry's book. Henry told her that he was Snow White's soul mate. They just didn't realize it yet because the curse was keeping them apart. Henry insisted that they read to John Doe the story of Snow White and Prince Charming to remind him of who he really was. Emma thought it was ridiculous, but went along with it anyway on the condition it be done her way.

Henry agreed.

**~O~**

At the high school, Tina was sitting on a bench when her mother's old work truck drove up.

"Finally, what kept her," she mumbled. However, when Tina neared the vehicle she noticed something most unsettling. A man was driving it, her mother was in the passenger seat. She got very worried.

"Mom? What happened?"

Hartley explained the incident and their diversion to the hospital. "Your mother is well, but she needs rest. Let's take her home, shall we?"

"Okay," Tina replied cautiously. Her mother nodded with approval and the girl hopped into the truck next to Claire while Hartley returned to the driver seat. Before putting the vehicle back into gear he asked if Tina could drive.

"Yeah, I have a learner's permit," she answered.

"Excellent, I need to return to my vehicle at the hardware store," he informed her. "Can you take your mother home from there?"

She nodded. Hartley slipped the vehicle into gear and drove them back to the town square. When they arrived, Mr. Winter kindly took Claire and Tina into the Darkstar Pharmacy where Mrs. Kensington could get her prescription filled.

Before leaving them, he kissed Mrs. Kensington on the back of her hand and said, "Thank you for this wonderfully eventful day."

On the drive home, Claire felt something well up inside her. Something she hadn't felt in eight years.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia had successfully made her way through the wild lands outside of Pixie Hollow. She remained vigilant, fearful of the many threats that she knew surrounded her. Though she never saw any such creatures that Swift and Festus had described, they had to be watching her, waiting for the fairy to let her guard down. Then in flash she would be sliding down their gullet.

"Not today," she reassured herself, a defiant tone to her voice. "I'm no one's dinner."

Sprinting from plant to plant, ducking under leaves and inside bushes, Vidia kept her presence hidden. Her progress was slow, but steady. Flying was out of the question. Bats and hawks might catch her in midflight. She kept a close eye on the ground, examining it for the telltale signs of trapdoor spiders. They laid strands of webbing that ran to their burrows. When a creature touched a strand it vibrated, sending a signal to the arachnid that a meal was approaching. In less than a second, the spider would launch from its hiding place, nab its prey and disappear back into the ground before the captured insect knew what happened. She stepped carefully over anything that looked like it might be a strand of spider silk. _I'm a lot smarter than some cricket_, she told herself.

Vidia had also doused herself in a smelly concoction that Swift guaranteed would make her "invisible" to snakes. "They hunt by smell," he told her. "They flick their tongues to taste the scent of fairy in the air." She wasn't sure if this stuff actually worked. It smelled awful. _I think this would make me more visible to the snakes, not less_, she theorized.

Halfway to her destination Vidia had neither seen nor heard anything other than the occasional rustling of the leaves in the shallow breezes. No sounds that would indicate a creature was nearby. Until now…, branches moved and shook in a bush that was close to her. She ducked under some fallen leaves and waited for whatever it was to vacate the area. Relieved, she stood up and kept going. Vidia thought her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself.

The flyer got closer without incident. Then in the distance she could see the forbidden berries. "That's it," she whispered enthusiastically to herself. All she had to do was collect two of the berries and make it back to the border alive.

"Not so hard." A second later Vidia wished she had kept her big mouth shut. A huge shadow slid across the ground. A terrible shriek filled the air. It also filled her soul with fear.

A hawk! She ducked for cover and remained hidden. The hawk seemed to circle for a long time. At least its shadow did. She was stuck there. "Now what do I do?"

Suddenly, from behind her came the sound of a snake rattle. Now she was stuck. She couldn't leave the cover of the leaves, the hawk would get her. But if she stayed the snake would find her and eat her alive. Her heart pounded harder than it did a minute ago. Bile rose in her throat, her hands and wings shook in stark terror. She started to whimper.

Vidia then took made a bold move. She reasoned that if she hid under a leaf and moved slowly across the ground the hawk may not see her. Taking one of the fallen leaves she held it up over herself, making sure it covered her up completely. Then she took a few steps out into the path ahead of her. She stopped, squatted and watched the shadow pass from behind her to in front of her. She breathed a sigh of relief and started duck walking closer to her goal.

Every time the shadow of the hawk came within her view, she would stop, squat and wait. Then she resume her duck walk. Steadily she closed in on her target, the blueberry bush. The plant was sitting alone in a clearing. The worst place to be when a hawk was circling overheard. Trembling with fear and wishing she had just stayed in bed, Vidia pressed forward. The little fast flyer started making her way across the clearing, getting closer and closer to the berry bearing plant that was at the heart of her quest.

Halfway there she stopped cold. She turned her head to the left and saw them, glistening in the bushes and plants. Two eyes, red as the sun itself. Those two eyes never stopped looking at her, she was frozen, petrified by them. A rustling to her right caused her to yelp and nearly jump out of her skin. The noise came from the branches above. Was it the hawk? No, the hawk was still high up in the sky searching for her. Maybe it was bats. Or something else that could eat her in one gulp?

She bravely took a few more steps only to stop when she spied what looked like spider silk stretched across the ground. _Oh no, trapdoor spiders and I just stepped into its signal web_. She looked around her hoping to make out the door of the arachnid's burrow in the ground.

Vidia spun to her right, she thought something was bobbing up and down in the fallen leaves. Then she saw it from the corner of her eye to the left of her. Then another from behind. _I'm in a nest of them!_

She didn't want to move for fear of giving away her position any further. Then she heard the distinct sound of howling. She gulped, hard! Her legs felt like jelly. The leaf she carried on her back felt like the Island of Never Land itself weighing on her shoulders. The blueberry bush was just a few short feet away.

The flyer couldn't stay and she couldn't move. She had to do something. Carefully, she stepped forward. As her foot left the spider silk a blast of leaves shot out at her.

SPIDERS!

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Dropping her leaf, Vidia raced for the cover of the blueberry bush. Her legs pumping as hard as they could, pushing her to the safety of the plant. Once inside, she hid among the berries and the dense foliage. She shook and trembled so badly the branches shook right along with her. Her breathing was deep, fast and hard, gulping air and she sounding more frightened with every passing second. Vidia's heart pounded in her chest, ready to burst out at any second. She was surrounded by predators. She made it to her destination, but couldn't leave the protection of the blueberry bush. Vidia would be unable to carry two blueberries and the protective leaf at the same time. Her only option was to wait until sunset, which was still many hours away. If the things that surrounded her didn't find her first.

Vidia was scared out of her mind, hungry, thirsty and convinced she was about to die.

* * *

**Yay, a little Hartley Winter / Lord Milori for everyone. I hope you found this to your liking. I promise more Hartley in future episodes.**

**I want to thank everyone for making this fan fiction a big success. It has already achieved more than one thousand views since the original posting. Give yourselves a big round of applause. You've earned it.**

**I also want to offer my gratitude to everyone who has been contributing reviews to this story. Your feedback makes my day every time.**

**~O~**

**If you are wondering how I came up with the name Hartley Winter, well its actually quite simple.**

**Hartley Winter is a reference / homage to Hartley Winterbottom, a character appearing in the fourth season of he NBC TV Series _Chuck_.**

**_Chuck_, which inhabits many genres at once, is primarily an action-adventure spy thriller / comedy, often parodying the spy movie genre, especially the James Bond films. Why is this important? Because Hartley Winterbottom (a.k.a. Alexei Volkoff a.k.a. Agent X) was played by none other than... wait for it, wait for i-it: Timothy Dalton. Thus the name is both a reference to Lord Milori's role as the Lord of Winter AND a James Bond reference, all rolled into one neat little package.**

**Cool huh?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 3, Chapter 5**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"My apologies, Mrs. Nolan," Hartley said. "I was unavoidably detained. Did my associate visit you today?"

"Yes, he did, Mr. Winter," Kathryn Nolan answered. "He assessed the problem and told me you would be able to fix it."

Kathryn Nolan was an attractive blonde woman in her mid-thirties. She looked sad, even slightly depressed most days. Her husband, David, had left her a while back and she never heard from him again. Their relationship hit many bumps that they could not resolve, so he made the decision to leave. Kathryn had since regretted not trying harder to reconcile with David. Now she lived everyday with the thought she would probably never see him again.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Nolan," Hartley said, "I'll get to it immediately."

She offered him a weak smile. "Thank you."

Hartley already knew that Ned had come by and reviewed the problem. An email was sent to his touchscreen phone detailing what needed to be done. Winter rang the bell and spoke with Kathryn as a courtesy. Learning from Charlie, Hartley went out of his way to speak directly to his customers often and keep them as happy as possible.

Mrs. Nolan's central air and heating system had been on the fritz recently, allowing the temperature to drop below the customer set minimum before kicking in. Then it would shut the heat off prematurely leaving the house chilly. Ned had determined that it was probably a faulty circuit board, but he didn't have the necessary tools or the electronics training needed to be completely certain. Thus, when Hartley was dropped off by Tina and her mother, he picked up his go to nerd: Penelope Steveston.

Penelope, or Penny as she preferred to be called, was just sixteen, but was already an accomplished computer and electronics technician and programmer. She had graduated high school early and was actively taking internet courses from M.I.T. in electrical engineering, with exams proctored locally. Penny earned the bulk of her income from apps written for the iPhone, iPad and Droid tablets and phones. However, she also did tech support for the city and many of the residents and businesses of Storybrooke.

Ms. Steveston stood barely five foot two, was waifishly thin and was a natural platinum blonde. She was energetic and pleasant enough to speak with, but her conversations were often punctuated with words, phrases and acronyms that only another nerd could understand. As far as Hartley was concerned, she may as well have been speaking Klingon.

As it turned out, Penny actually did speak Klingon, fluently, and with the correct accent.

"What's the problem?" she asked Hartley.

He explained the difficulties Mrs. Nolan had been having recently. Penny pulled from her satchel electronic tools specific to the model Mrs. Nolan had in her backyard. Hartley removed the access panel and allowed Penny to test the system. After a few moments, she noted which board was failing and needed replacement. Then she shot off, running like a frightened mouse and squeaking like one, too.

"Penny! Penny, what are you doing?" Hartley called out to her.

She stopped just long enough to point up at the roof. Hartley took a look and found a large bee's nest hanging from the eaves of the home. They were buzzing about and one or two of them were near the unit outside.

"Why is that important?" he asked her.

"I'm allergic," she answered. "One sting and I'm a goner."

He nodded his head in understanding and told Penny to inform the homeowner of the nest. While the young girl went to the front door, Hartley began the repairs on the unit, disconnecting the power to replace the failing circuit board.

The door opened and the homeowner greeted the young girl. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Hi, I work for Mr. Winter and we noticed a HUGE bee's nest hanging over the air conditioner unit," she said.

"What? Where?" Kathryn, led by Penny, walked out to the back yard where the unit was situated and looked up. There she saw the nest. It was almost the size of a football. The surface was crawling with the insects. "I'll call an exterminator right away. Thank you."

Kathryn went back into the house and flipped through the town's yellow pages directory. She found a listing for Jo's Exterminator Services. The ad in the yellow business directory claimed it had high ratings on both Angie's List and the Better Business Bureau. When Mrs. Nolan called she was greeted by an enthusiastic woman. "Thanks for calling Jo's Exterminators. If you got 'em, we kill 'em."

"How reassuring," Kathryn said under her breath. Mrs. Nolan explained the reason for her call. The woman on the other end, Jo, said she could be out there tonight after sunset.

"Why not now?"

"If I spray now the bees will just fly off and come back later," she explained. "But they can't see well enough at night to fly, so they'll just stay there getting soaked by the insecticide and die. One treatment is all it takes and I'll even knock down the nest and carry it away."

Kathryn Nolan, satisfied by the explanation, made and appointment for after sunset that evening.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Restoration Period on the Mainland)

She had wretched several times already. Vidia had been hiding in the blueberry bush for several hours now. The sun was high and her stomach was empty. She ate a light breakfast very early this morning so she wouldn't be weighted down for this excursion. It was now after lunch and Vidia was so, so hungry. The only thing she wanted at this moment was to get out of here alive and eat every plate of food put in front her.

Listening and watching and thinking about the path that got her here, Vidia started to formulate a plan to get out. She was, after all, the fastest and most talented fast flyer in the guild and the most talented fairy in all of Pixie Hollow. That had to count for something even in this situation. She reached out of the safety of the shrubbery and grabbed a fallen leaf. Folding it and forming a sling, she plucked two blueberries and laid them carefully inside. Then she tied it around her neck and shoulder and studied the path in front of her. If she could shoot out at top speed and dart from bush to bush, shrub to shrub she might be able to stay out of danger. The hawk hadn't been seen or heard in hours. Staying off the ground would keep her away from the trap door spiders that seemed to litter the earth here.

"Okay, now someone just give me a push," she muttered. Nothing.

"Okay, I'll give myself a push." Still nothing. She hung her head in shame.

_How can I be a respected fast flyer if I can't even do this?_ She asked herself.

_How can you be anything if you get eaten, stupid?_ Was her reply.

Yet, if she stayed here indefinitely she would die of dehydration or starvation. More ways to die than to live.

Vidia shot out of the blueberry bush and disappeared into a nearby shrub.

_I did it! I can't believe I did it!_ It was a heady feeling. _Okay, now don't get cocky, but you've made the first step and that's the hardest one. You can do this._

Another quick flight and into another bush. She zipped across the pathway, moving this way and that finding safe havens along the way. Vidia heard no sounds from the creatures that frightened her earlier. No rattling of snakes, no screeching of hawks, nothing bobbed up and down from under the blanket of fallen leaves. It seemed safe, so she took a chance. Instead of darting into the nearest shrub, she dared to rocket down the path towards the exit. Towards the safety of the border at Pixie Hollow.

Blasting out of her cover, Vidia flapped her wings faster and faster. Her eyes darted about looking for anything even remotely dangerous. Halfway there, Vidia began to feel her confidence swell. She felt good, the nausea drained from her, her lips curled into a cautious smile. Vidia was going to make it.

She felt so good about herself that Vidia began to relax, she reached a point where the predators that could eat a fairy were now far behind. All that remained was to reach the boundary of Pixie Hollow and claim her prize. Vidia sighed with relief. She shouldn't have, for if she hadn't then the low hanging branch that knocked her out of the air could have been avoided.

Getting to her feet, Vidia felt something wet against her body. She peered inside the sling and found that one of the blueberries was squashed. She nearly panicked. The requirements were that two blueberries had to be delivered _unharmed _to the border. Now she would have to go back into that rat's nest to get another blueberry. Part of her just wanted to get this over with and plead her case to the two guys who had sent in there. Part of her wanted to go back and prove she was more than worthy of that purple feather. After all, this was a test of her nerves. To complete this task meant facing her fears. If she was unwilling to go back and pick another blueberry then how could she say that her fears had been suitably conquered?

Vidia stood there, deep in thought while contemplating her next move.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The old GMC truck rattled down the residential road, Tina was at the wheel while her mother sat in the driver's seat. With the house in sight, Mrs. Kensington suddenly demanded that Tina turn around and go back to the town square.

"What? Why?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I forgot to pay Mr. Gold," she explained, clearly wishing she could just go home and nap. "The money is due today or else we'll lose the house."

Mr. Gold was nothing like those loudmouthed idiots on Pawn Stars. He was a serious man who did not tolerate late payments, even if the borrower had always been on time in the past. Tina turned the vehicle around and drove back to the main street and the pawn shop.

**~O~**

"Henry thinks that John Doe is Prince Charming," Emma said to Mary Margaret.

"And if I'm Snow White then we're meant to be together," Mary Margaret concluded, rather amused.

Emma's only real friend in town was Mary Margaret Blanchard, Henry's schoolteacher. She had bailed Emma out of jail despite barely knowing her at the time. Now she had offered to let Emma stay in her empty room, though Emma hadn't agreed to anything yet. Yet Mary Margaret was a friend to confide in, a girlfriend to talk to and a friend to hang out with.

Now, however, Henry's assertion that Mary Margaret and John Doe were somehow soul mates was so out there that Emma had to do something to put his daydreams to rest. She didn't want to just tell him he's nuts, it would crush Henry's spirits and permanently drive him away. So instead, Emma recruited Mary Margaret.

She told Mary Margaret what Henry had in mind. "You should read that story to him," Emma told Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret was taken aback by the suggestion. Emma said that when nothing happens it will finally convince Henry to drop this fairy tale nonsense. Mary Margaret thought it was crazy, but a great plan.

"I better go get ready for my date. I guess I'll be doing all the talking."

**~O~**

A single vehicle was blocking their path. The driver was slow and holding them up. Although they had plenty of time before Mr. Gold closed up shop, Claire's nerves were shot and she just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Now this jerk was in the way.

"C'mon, c'mon, move," Mrs. Kensington muttered. She rolled her eyes, wrung her hands and shook her head in disgust. Finally, she rolled down the window and started yelling. "Hey, stupid! Get your fat ass off the road. Yeah! You! Get off the…, sorry. Sorry, Mother Superior. I've had a very bad day. No, your ass is not fat. And you're not stupid. My apologies. …yes, we will be there next weekend to mow the lawn for free like always. Again, sorry."

Claire rolled up the window and then buried her head into her hands. "I just called a nun a stupid fat ass. I'm going to Hell."

"Mom, were not religious," Tina reminded her. "We don't believe in Hell."

"I kno-ow!"

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the Mr. Gold's pawn shop and made the monthly payment. With the receipt in hand Claire felt sweet relief. _At least something is going right today_, she thought.

**~O~**

That evening at the hospital Mary Margaret read from the fairy tale book she had given to Henry. She sat by the bed of the handsome John Doe and in a tone like a bedtime story read of Snow White and Prince Charming meeting and then falling in love at the troll bridge. It was a usual story because their meeting was antagonistic, not the usual cute or heroic one typically found in other fairy tale books.

Mary Margaret found herself absorbed by this telling when she felt something. John Doe had put his hand on hers.

* * *

**Note: Penny Steveston is Periwinkle. Her last name is a reference to the town of Steveston, BC where the show Once Upon A Time is filmed.**

**Jo the exterminator is Fawn.**

**Thanks for reading my little story. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 3, Chapter 6**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Thanks for the shirt," Emma told him when she sat down in the booth. Ms. Swan had been living out of her VW bug and didn't have much in the way of a change of clothes. So Henry brought her a clean blouse to wear. It turned out that it belonged to Regina. As if Emma didn't have enough to worry about from the mayor. But at least something else was working out for her today.

Emma had a plan, and it was coming together nicely. Mary Margaret had gone to the hospital last night to read to John Doe. Henry was convinced that Mary Margaret was Snow White. John Doe was her Prince Charming. They were supposed to be soul mates, at least that was his theory. He believed that his book of fairy tales, titled Once Upon A Time, revealed that all the people of Storybrooke were actually fairy tale characters who had been brought here by a curse cast by the evil queen. They had no memories of their true selves and had been trapped in a prison of time for the past twenty eight years. It was a crazy notion and Emma was going to dispel it the nicest way she could.

Mary Margaret, Henry's school teacher, went to the hospital last night to read the story of Snow White and Prince Charming to the comatose John Doe. If Henry was right, he would remember his true self and wake up. If Emma was right, and she was betting she was, nothing would happen and the boy would finally have to accept that there were no fairy tale characters living in Storybrooke. Mary Margaret was going to meet her and Henry at Granny's for breakfast and give a full report. To Emma, this was a full proof plan. Except for one small thing.

"He woke up," Mary Margaret said upon entering Granny's Diner. "Well, not actually woke up, but he put his hand on mine."

Emma couldn't believe her ears. This wasn't how the plan was supposed to play out. How could he have woken up? She had to find out more, so the three left Granny's for the hospital immediately.

Upon arriving, they discovered that not only had John Doe woken from his coma, but he had gone missing. Emma was blindsided by the news. Henry's theory about fairy tales couldn't possibly be true. Before she could worry about it any further, Emma was stunned by another development. Mayor Mills and the sheriff were already at the hospital looking into the disappearance.

**~O~**

Regina was unhappy to see Henry in the company of Emma Swan. He had told her he was playing Whack-A-Mole at the arcade. He lied. And just how did Ms. Swan get one of her blouses? No doubt that was Henry's doing, as well.

"Well, Ms. Swan since I can't keep you away from my son, I'll just have to keep my son away from you," Regina said, pulling the boy to her side. She also made it abundantly clear that Henry would be punished for his lying.

"How is that you're here, Regina?" Emma asked. Regina informed Ms. Swan that she was John Doe's emergency contact number. She had found the man lying by the side of the road, unconscious, some time ago and brought him to the hospital where he had been in a coma ever since. He had no identification and not a single person knew who he was or could ID him.

That explanation didn't exactly sit well with Emma, but Regina didn't care. She was more worried about her own son lying to her and sneaking off to be with Ms. Swan. She ordered the sheriff to find John Doe while she took her son back home, where he belonged.

**~O~**

Determined to find out what happened to the missing patient Emma, Graham and Mary Margaret visited the security office to look at the tapes of the ward to find out how a comatose patient was able to just disappear. Neither Leroy, the perpetually grumpy custodian, nor Walter, the hospital's security officer, had seen anything.

"You fell asleep again, didn't you, Walter?" Leroy said accusingly.

"Hey, you're not throwing me under the bus," Walter replied.

Emma didn't have time for this and had the security tapes cued up. Everything appeared normal, but Emma spotted something wrong.

"It's the wrong tape," she said. This recording showed Ms. Blanchard's students putting up the banners and posters. That was yesterday, before the patient went missing. When the correct recording was found and cued up, it showed John Doe stumbling out the back door, barely conscious.

"Where does that lead?" Emma asked.

"The woods," Leroy answered.

The trio hurried outside to begin their search. John Doe had pulled out his I.V. and could have been bleeding. Time was against them.

**~O~**

Tina lazily descended the stairs and strolled into the kitchen. She was expecting her mother. Instead, Valerie was there cooking breakfast. Or at least trying to cook breakfast. On the kitchen table was a serving plate containing scrambled eggs so overcooked that water was pooling around them. There was bacon that was dark and overly crisp, slightly charred sausage patties and links and a short stack of toaster waffles that were several shades beyond golden brown.

"Where is Mom?" Tina asked her older sister.

"Asleep," Valerie replied in a testy voice. On a hot pad, she put down a saucepan of grits which was thick rather than creamy. "That's twice she's overslept."

"She had a panic attack yesterday, Val. And she almost ran someone over."

"Hmph! So why is that my problem," Valerie answered, sitting down to the unpleasant meal she had prepared.

"Why are you so mean to Mom?" Tina asked.

"She started it!" was Valerie's quick answer. "Ever since you were born, that woman has been fawning all over you and treating me like the bastard child of the house."

"That's not true, Val," Tina tried to assure her. "You've just been so mean to her."

"I'm just doing to her what she has been doing to me all along!" Valerie rebuked in a raised tone.

"Ssshhhh! Mom needs to rest."

"Who cares!?" Valerie said. "She has always resented me ever since you came along. When you had your seventh birthday what did you get?"

"A bicycle," Tina said. "It's what I asked for."

"Exactly, you got what you wanted," Val said. "But when my fifteenth birthday came along later that year do you know what I got?"

Tina shook her head no.

"All I wanted was Microsoft Flight Simulator," Val answered, tears swelling in her eyes, her voice beginning to crack and tremble. "Dad bought it for me. I tore open the box and was so excited. But Mom made him take it back. They argued for days over it. She said no daughter of hers was going to do something dangerous like learn to fly."

"Good grief, Val, your timing couldn't have been worse," Tina said. "It was the spring of 2002 and you wanted a flying simulator program."

"It wasn't dangerous! It was just software, but you got your bicycle which is dangerous," Valerie said nearly breaking down. "Dad knew it was my dream. That's why he bought me model planes to build and put up in my room. I loved putting them together. I could imagine myself sitting behind the stick and flying across the country in the open sky. He promised that on my eighteenth birthday he would pay for flying lessons."

"He died when you were sixteen," Tina observed. "He couldn't keep his promise."

"No, but Mom could have. When I turned eighteen, I asked her for those flying lessons," Val continued. "She flatly said no. I kept begging her to keep Dad's promise. So you know what she did? She went into my room and pulled down all of my airplane models, breaking each of them before throwing them into the trash."

Valerie started crying. "That's why I hate her so much, because she hates me," Valeria howled. "The only dream I ever had in life was to fly. Dad understood that and encouraged it. But Mom took it away from me. She took the only thing that mattered and threw it into the garbage."

Valerie jumped from the table.

"Where are you going?" Tina asked.

"To the work site," she answered.

"Huh? Why?"

"Do you want to lose the house? To live under a bridge? Someone has to put food on the table since Mom is apparently too incompetent to even do that anymore," She spat. "Do yourself a favor, Tina. Get out of this place as soon as you can. The only thing Mom seems to be good at anymore is ruining people's lives." Val then ran out the door to the garage and rode off on her bike_._

Tina sunk into her chair and picked at the food on her plate. _I'm beginning to understand you, Val._

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

When they neared the Troll Bridge, Snow White and Prince James abandoned their horse and sent it on its way because Trolls didn't like horses. Snow had sold the jewels to the trolls at this bridge for money. She was trying to gather enough to leave the kingdom for another realm, a place where she could be safe from the Evil Queen. Regina had already sent out a huntsman to carve out Snow's heart, but he couldn't do it. Regina didn't give up so easily and sent her entire force of Black Knights to find and kill Snow. That was why she stole from James. If she couldn't be rid of the queen she would escape her.

Prince James didn't know anything about trolls. He thought they were little people.

"Those are dwarves," Snow corrected. "Trolls are dangerous and they will cut off your hand as easily as look at you."

The bridge was a dilapidated stone works overpass. The two sides were masonry, but the middle over the deep chasm was little more than a few wooden planks joining the two anchors on either side. Snow and Prince James walked out towards the middle. She put out a few gold coins to get their attention. The bridge trolls ascended the structure and leapt over the railings. These creatures were fearsome looking, with oversized heads, powerful looking muscles, great strength and agility and long fangs that sprang up from their bottom jaw.

She asked to buy back the jewels sold to them earlier. However, they were agitated by the presence of her male companion. They didn't know who he was and thought it might be a trap. Despite all of their physical prowess, bridge trolls were often hunted. They were very wary. Snow tried to vouch for James. At first they were unwilling to take her word, but acquiesced and sold back the jewels. Unfortunately, James let his royal training slip with a "thank you" and other appreciative words.

"He's a royal!" one of them roared. They were afraid it was a trap. A fight ensued and James was able to incapacitate one, but was captured by the others. Snow White managed to escape and thought that James was right behind her. When she turned, she saw him forced to his knees, about to be executed.

"Royal Blood is the sweetest," one of the trolls said to James before raising his sword to kill him. Then the troll dissolved into a beetle. James struggled to break free, but the second and then the third troll were also both reduced to bugs. It was Snow's dark fairy dust.

"Thanks, but what about your special someone?" he asked Snow. She would have to find another way. When he asked why she did it, Snow replied, "I couldn't let Prince Charming die."

After the brief conflict the two parted ways. James took his wedding ring, given to him by his mother, and let Snow keep the rest of the jewels so she could escape. He joked as he had before that Snow wasn't the jewelry type.

"I don't know," she said, taking the ring and putting it on her finger. "You're right. It's not me." She gave him back the ring.

At that moment, the seeds of love between them were first sown, though neither of them realized it yet. Snow White left to find her safe passage and Prince James went back to the castle and his fiancée. However, little did they know that their paths would cross once again.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia crossed back into Pixie Hollow and the safety of her homeland. A tidal wave of relief washed over her. She lay down on the ground as all the anxiety and fear seemed to melt of her. Within minutes she fell asleep.

When she woke Vidia noticed that the sun was sinking into a bright red western sky. She had slept for hours. The only thing she had eaten since beginning this journey was the squashed berry in her sack. Vidia had made the hard decision to go back and collect another blueberry that would satisfy the requirements of the quest. She didn't want to live with the stigma of having to grovel for something that others had earned outright.

She looked around trying to find Swift and Festus so she could present them with her prize. However, they were nowhere to be seen. She searched the area near the border with the wild lands and called out their names several times, but to no avail. They must have assumed she was killed and left. Vidia flew to The Nest to find them.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Hi, Clarence? It's me, Tina. Listen, I'm going to be stuck here at the house," she told him over the phone. She explained what had happened yesterday.

"Yeah, I know," he answered. "It was in the morning edition on the front page."

"WHAT?" She ran out to the front door and collected the newspaper. Opening it she saw a photo of Desiree Collingsworth and a stock photo of an Apple iPad. The article didn't accuse or explicitly condemn Mrs. Kensington, but she was mentioned as being the employer of the suspected thief. This wasn't going to help the already flagging company. It hurt the trust she had with the townspeople, and in a place like Storybrooke trust was worth more than gold.

"Oh great. Mom already has enough to worry about," she whimpered over the phone.

"Don't worry, I'm certain Sheriff Graham will find the missing tablet and everything will be fine," Clarence said with an assuring tone.

"You really think so?"

"I know so. He's really good at watching out for us."

"Thanks, I feel better now. Oh, I forgot why I called. I won't be able to come over see your new car," Tina said regretfully. "Mom is sleeping in after all the stress she endured yesterday. Val just left and I have to take care of my mother."

"That's okay, I understand," he said. "Family comes first."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Hey, I have an idea," Clarence said. "If you can't come to the car, I'll bring the car to you!"

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll be waiting."

"Okay, I'll be there after I'm doing delivering mail."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Restoration Period on the Mainland)

The doors to The Happy Flyers Wind Riding Club burst open. The patrons turned to see Vidia standing in the doorway, a sling made of leaves over her shoulder. She walked into the pub and sought out Swift and Festus.

"There you are!" Swift bleated excitedly. "C'mon, let's go into the office and talk." Vidia was led into a backroom with a desk and several shelves with supplies.

"What happened?" Festus asked. "We thought you were eaten?"

"Or that you chickened out and ran off," Swift added.

"I'm no coward," Vidia spat. She explained what happened, how she moved quickly and silently through the wild lands, avoided predators and found herself in a real rat's nest of trouble as she approached the blueberry bush. Then how she waited to formulate a way out, that she accidentally smashed one of the berries and decided to go back to secure another.

"I think that qualifies me for a feather," she said confidently.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Swift told her. "You took too long."

"What! You never said there was a time limit!"

"Okay, okay," Festus said. "I think Vidia has a good claim on a feather since she had to go back."

"NO! No one has ever taken that long! She failed."

Vidia was furious. She had worked too hard and endured too much to beg or grovel for her feather. So instead, she decided to strangle Swift with her bare hands.

"Give me that feather, you jerk!" she yelled.

Festus stopped her, pushing the enraged fairy out the back door and onto the patio. "Wait here," he said. "Let me talk to him."

"You'd better or he'll have to change his name to Swiftamina by the time I'm done with him," Vidia growled.

"You're upset. I get that. But leading off with a threat is usually not the best way to get what you want," Festus said. "Why don't we put the fairy gender change in our back pocket as a last resort?"

Vidia smiled a bit, amused. "Okay. Go talk to him. But if he doesn't say yes he better get used to wearing a dress."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come around," Festus reassured her before going back into the room.

"Yeah, well he'd better. Because I'm not doing that again."

* * *

**Sorry for the slow update. I've been studying for Final Exams and trying to watch the NBA Playoffs at the same time. Not easy. **

**Let me know what you think of some of the developments in this chapter. The next one should wrap up Episode 3. **

**For those who don't watch Once Upon A Time, you may want to start this fall. The Season 3 season finale aired Sunday and in the last few seconds they introduced who the next major character would be for Season 4. It's none other than Elsa, the Snow Queen from Frozen. You can see her introduction on Youtube. Just do a search for Elsa on Once Upon A Time. I don't know about you, but I'm stoked.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 3, Chapter 7**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina resented her big sister for abandoning her at home. Today was supposed to be her day to clean the bathrooms and vacuum around the house. Now Tina had to do all this work. When Claire came downstairs around noon, she had to explain that to her.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," her mother said. "But this time I have to agree with Val. Someone had to oversee the employees. For once she is being responsible."

"Hmph! Why does her being responsible mean I have to clean the house two weeks in a row?"

"Here, let me help," Claire said, taking over the vacuuming duties. "Why don't you run down to Granny's and get us lunch, okay?"

Tina gladly took the food run over the household chores. Despite how much she hated being left alone by her sister to watch over her mother and the house today, Tina brought a sandwich stuffed with lunch meat to Valerie at the renovation house. She was even thoughtful enough to bring chips and a Mr. Pibb, Val's favorite soda. Tina, however, ate the pickle spear on the way over. She knew that would needle her big sister. Valerie always loved the salty taste of the pickles. It was always her favorite part of a sandwich from Granny's.

**~O~**

"Hi, Mom, I'm home," she announced when walking in the kitchen door. Tina put the food down on the kitchen table and went looking for her mother. She found her sitting at the dining room table looking despaired and shell shocked.

"Oh no, now what happened?" Tina asked.

Lying on the dining room table was the front page of The Daily Mirror.

"I hope that Sheriff Graham finds that tablet soon," Claire said. "This is going to hurt business so much."

Tina sat down next to her and tried to perk up her spirits. "Mom, I'm sure everything will turn out just fine. You've gotten us through some tough spots in the past, you can get us through this one, too."

Claire gave her youngest a big hug. "Thank you. At least one person still has faith in me."

They both put aside their problems for the moment and ate their meals. Claire voiced a concern about Valerie. Tina said she took her sandwich.

"Oh how sweet of yo-. Wait did you eat the pickle?" Claire said.

Tina shook her head no, but the smile on her face said yes.

Claire rolled her eyes and said, "What am I going to do with you girls?"

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Restoration Period on the Mainland)

The door to the tavern office swung open. Festus exited and then closed the door behind him. Vidia had been kept waiting for a good while. The sun was very low in the horizon, its yellow light fading to a bright red glow.

"Well?" Vidia asked sharply. "Is Swift going to become his own favorite girl?"

"We talked," Festus began. "He didn't agree with me. I told him you worked too hard to be denied. He said there were rules and they had to be followed."

Vidia glared at him. "Is this description of the conversation going to take longer than the actual conversation?"

Festus leaned against the railing, slouching a bit next to the angry flyer. He bobbed his head back and forth, smooshed up his face, hemmed and hawed before finally answering her.

"Nnnngggggggyyaaa, you got your feather. I finally got him to admit he never told you the time limit rule. But you cannot discuss this with anyone. Not even with other talents, they might flap their big mouths to one of our own."

"Deal," Vidia answered quickly. Festus presented her with the coveted purple feather. Vidia took it, eyeing it with much satisfaction. She smiled a bit.

"How do you intend to wear it?" he asked her.

"I'm going to add it to my new clothes," she said. Vidia disliked the flowery dress she was wearing. It got in the way of fast flying. She had already asked the dressmakers to fashion a tight, formfitting dress without all the fluffy petals. "The feather should make a nice belt."

Festus smiled. "I like your style."

Both looked out across the sky and watched as the sun dipped behind the distant horizon. The sky turned a fiery red with hints of yellow and orange.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked.

She nodded happily. "Umm hmm."

When the bright colors dimmed and the sky turned dark he offered her an invitation. "Come on, let me buy you a drink to celebrate. Maybe some dinner, too, you look hungry."

"Thanks. I am," she replied. In their guild's tavern, Vidia and Festus had a few drinks, ate a nice dinner and afterwards talked and laughed and had a wonderful time together.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma Swan, Mary Margaret and Sheriff Graham Humbert had spent hours searching through the wooded areas outside of town. The woods were both beautiful and treacherous. Tall pine trees covered in green moss grew everywhere, some of their trunks were huge, and detailing how long some these grand trees had been growing here. Logs and large boulders littered the ground. They were also covered in the moss turning them slippery and making a hike through these areas difficult and dangerous. A slight mist added to both the beauty and the challenge of navigating through the forest.

The group had been following a rather obvious trail, but when it went off the road Sheriff Graham had to resort to more old fashioned methods of tracking. Mary Margaret wondered why Emma didn't lead the search since she seemed so good at finding people. Emma had to admit that the people she tracked down usually wound up in places like Las Vegas, not the backwoods of small towns. Mary Margaret smiled at Emma's unusual description of her work.

"How did you wind up doing that?" Ms. Blanchard asked. "Looking for people, I mean."

Emma had spent most of her life looking for people.

"You were looking for your parents?" Mary Margaret clarified. "Sorry, Henry told me you were, well, that you came from the same background as he did."

Yes, Emma had indeed spent a good deal of time searching for her real parents. It just felt natural for her to pursue finding people as a career choice.

"Did you ever find them?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Depends on who you ask," Emma answered cryptically. Mary Margaret knew what she was talking about. Henry and his wild theory that she and John Doe were her parents. Mary Margaret felt sympathy for this lost girl. No parents, no family, no attachments, no history. No place to call home.

A noise in the shrubs behind them caught their attention. A second later, Henry emerged.

"Henry? What are you going here?" Emma asked, scared for his safety.

"I want to help," he answered.

"Where's your mother?"

"She dropped me off at the house and then drove off," he replied.

"Well we need to get you back home," Emma said, "or your mother will kill me. Then you. Then me again."

"But I can help you find John Doe," Henry insisted. He then looked at Ms. Blanchard. "He's looking for you."

Not this again, Emma thought. Yet Henry continued to press his case. He stated that John Doe was heading towards the troll bridge because that was where Prince Charming first fell in love with Snow White.

"Henry," Mary Margaret said in a kindly voice, "that's the last thing I read to him."

Then Sheriff Graham called to them. When the two women and the boy joined him, he pointed to a clue he had found. John Doe's hospital wrist ID. It had been removed and was lying on a branch. Worse yet, it was smeared in blood.

**~O~**

A knock at the back door brought Tina bounding through the house. Clarence had called to notify her he was off work and was coming over to show off the car. She was so excited. From the moment he told her about his new vehicle, Tina had been wondering, even fantasizing, about what it could be.

Was it a Ford Mustang? She would look so cool in the passenger seat of one of those iconic sports cars.

Or maybe it was one of those new Chevy Camaros like in the _Transformers_ movies. Tina hated those films, but loved the vehicles showcased in them.

Then her heart skipped a beat, perhaps he bought a Dodge Challenger. Those looked so sweet!

Chills went down her spine when the knock came.

She swung open the door and nearly jumped out of her skin. "HI!" she greeted excitedly.

"Hi," he answered. "Is your Mom here? I see the truck in the backyard."

"Nope, she went to an appointment with Dr. Hopper," she answered. Doctor Whale had called the therapist and asked that Archie Hopper see Claire as soon as possible to treat the causes of her anxiety. She had driven to his office in their old minivan.

"Oh, okay. I thought she might like to see it, too."

"She's not really a car person like I am," Tina admitted. Indeed, Claire wasn't. Tina, however, learned at the feet of her father how to do things like change oil, spark plugs, filters and many other user serviceable parts in an automobile. With her father now gone, she took on the role of auto mechanic when regular maintenance was required.

"Well, ready to see the new car?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Tina said, bouncing up and down on her toes.

"Alright, here she is." Clarence stepped aside so Tina could get a view of his new set of wheels. One look and she stopped bouncing. Her jaw fell slack, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. Tina was speechless.

"Well? What do you think?" he asked her, beaming with pride.

Tina curled up her nose, her eyebrows quirked and she could barely contain her disappointment. "You bought a Pontiac Aztek?!" she asked.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" he answered her.

"Its…, its….," Tina wanted to say it was a horror, a tragedy on four wheels, a boneheaded purchase of the most monumental proportions, but how could she say those things to the boy she had admired since her freshman year in high school?

The Pontiac Aztek was the single most god-awful looking vehicle ever inflicted on the American automobile consumer since the AMC Gremlin. Its sharp edges, gray wrap around body cladding, pig snout like nose and truncated back end was supposed to be cutting edge. The Aztek's intended buyer was a younger crowd looking for something different and edgy. The vehicle even had optional accessories designed to add to its sport utility functionality, such as a tent which extended the back end and turned the SUV into a modest camper.

Unfortunately, massive amounts of executive meddling, coupled with it being overweight, underpowered, with mediocre handling and average ride along with an exterior so frightening that even small woodland creatures would run from it in fear, led to it being attached to many lists with titles like "What were they thinking?" or "Worst mistakes of the year" and "Worst automobiles in history."

Sales were so poor and the press surrounding the vehicle was so bad that it earned another dubious distinction. The Aztek became known as the vehicle that killed the Pontiac brand.

"It's…, it's…, different," she said, trying not to offend. "Not my first choice, but it is very…, bold. Yeah, that's it. Bold."

"When Pontiac first announced the Aztec, I fell in love with it," he told her. "I've always wanted one."

"WHY? I mean…, I mean, why yes. Why wouldn't you want one?"

"Oh and hey look at this." Clarence opened up the rear door. It wasn't a single lift gate, like most other SUV's, but a hatchback with a pull down door. Inside was the tent which would fit over the lift gate. "See, we could go camping in the woods outside of town."

"We?"

"Yeah, I know how much you like a good adventure so I thought we could go camping together some weekend," he told her. "Then we could hike the woods, or do some bird watching. Maybe we could go fishing or take small boat out just the two of us?"

"You bought this… for me?"

"Of course," he answered.

"So does this mean that…, that?"

"That what?"

She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to ruin their strong friendship. "That you think of me as more than just a friend?"

Clarence took her hand in his, looked into her eyes and with a smile answered, "You're my best friend. And best friends do fun thing together."

"Oh." Tina was sick. She had misread him.

"But who knows, maybe we can be more than just friends," he added. "I just wasn't sure how you felt about it."

She smiled back. Her heart skipped a beat. Clarence bought a Pontiac Aztek just for her and she couldn't be happier. They sat on the drop gate and held hands while gazing into each others eyes.

**~O~**

Sheriff Graham led the small search team towards the old Toll Bridge. Someone had vandalized its sign, using a permanent marker to add an "R" between the "T" and the "O" turning Toll Bridge into Troll Bridge.

Mary Margaret and Emma swung their lights down into the shallow waters of the creek that ran under the bridge. "Look! Someone's down there," Mary Margaret yelled.

At the water's edge, half submerged was a man in a hospital gown. Sheriff Graham immediately called in an ambulance. Emma and Mary Margaret splashed through the creek to the unconscious man in the water. They turned him over. It was John Doe, but he was not breathing.

"Wake up!" Mary Margaret yelled, shaking him. "Come back to us. Come back to me." She began to administer CPR. Emma hid Henry's face from the horror, not wanting him to see a dead man, if John Doe was in fact deceased. However, a moment later, he resuscitated. The first thing he saw was Mary Margaret who kept saying, "I found you. I found you."

Emma could not believe it, but Henry was right about where to find the escaped patient. Mary Margaret, while not yet a believer in the boy's fantasy world, seemed quite smitten by the handsome John Doe. This only confounded Emma even further. Ms. Blanchard was not Snow White and John Doe was not Prince Charming. They were not soul mates. Henry, however, viewed these events as proof that his theory was correct.

**~O~**

Back at the hospital, Mary Margaret couldn't have been happier to see John Doe returned to the care of Dr. Whale and the nursing staff. Last night, when her date with Dr. While ended in disaster she was worried that she might never find true love. Now her eyes sparkled as though it were in reach with the now fully awake John Doe.

Unfortunately when Emma, Mary Margaret and Henry entered the ICU where the man was being kept, they saw a blonde female in the room with him.

"Who is that woman?" Emma asked.

"That is Kathryn Nolan," Regina informed them. "She is his wife." John Doe, it turned out, was David Nolan.

Mary Margaret was crushed by this news. Henry was wrong, he wasn't her soul mate. There was to be no true love with this man and she felt terribly foolish for getting her hopes up.

Kathryn exited the ICU to thank Mary Margaret, Emma and the sheriff for finding her lost husband. She explained that she and David had a falling out several years earlier. Kathryn took the blame for not being more supportive and understanding. They separated. Assuming that David had left town, Kathryn never thought to look for him in Storybrooke.

Dr. Whale added that while David was now fully awake and in good health, his memory was still blank. He had no memories of his life or family. There was no explanation as to why David suddenly woke up. Only that he did and in a state of delirium went looking for something.

"Or someone," Henry added, looking directly at Ms. Blanchard.

He insisted that David was looking for her. But seeing the man with his wife, she could no longer believe him. Yet, even as Kathryn and David embraced, he looked at Mary Margaret. There was a connection, Ms. Blanchard could feel it and so could David. It was written all over his face. But Mary Margaret had to deny it, he was a married man and she would never find true love. At least not with him.

Emma, on the other hand, was incredulous and thought it impossible that Mayor Mills could so quickly, almost magically, find David's wife. Especially when he had been in a coma all this time. How was it that in this small town no one made any kind of remarkable effort to track down his family?

"Storybrooke is bigger than it looks, Ms. Swan," Regina answered. "It's very easy to get lost here."

Regina credited Ms. Swan's idea of checking the security recordings for finding Mrs. Nolan. More recordings were viewed. Late at night it was discovered that John Doe would sometimes call out for someone named "Kathryn." It was rather easy to narrow down the possibilities from there. True love had won out, she told Emma. And she felt enlightened. This episode reminded Regina how lucky she was to have Henry in her life. "Because not having someone would be the greatest curse of all."

These words cut Emma deeply. They reminded her of just how lonely she was. And how much she had been isolating herself from the people around her. People who cared about her.

**~O~**

"I'm worried about Valerie," Claire told Dr. Archie Hopper. Mrs. Kensington was sitting on his couch. They were in his second floor office that overlooked the main street. The room looked more like a formal study or a library than an office, complete with wonderful wood paneling and a real fireplace. It was warm, homey and comforting. "She is becoming more and more defiant and rebellious with each day. She hates me and I can't understand why."

Dr. Hopper nodded. Then, in a soft, friendly and nonjudgmental voice said, "Maybe I should talk to her. Get her perspective on these matters."

"Do you think it will help?"

"It certainly won't hurt."

"Okay, I'll bring her with me next session, Dr. Hopper," Claire said.

"I think we're going to make some real progress," he said.

"Thank goodness I've got Tina," Claire added. "I feel like I've found someone I can rely on to be there for me when things get tough. I haven't had that in a long time."

**~O~**

Sitting on the drop gate of the Aztek, Tina and Clarence held hands and were French Kissing. They had shared kisses before, but those were innocent and friendly pecks on the cheek. Tonight they were no longer just friends, but taking their first, tentative steps into the world of a romantic pairing as boyfriend and girlfriend.

**~O~**

At her apartment, Mary Margaret sat on the wrought iron stairs that led to her upstairs room. She was fiddling with a ring on her finger. It was a beautiful ring with a gold band and green stone. All she could do was fixate on how badly things had gone for her today. She had never felt lonelier.

The doorbell rang. When she answered Mary Margaret was rather surprised to see Emma Swan standing in her doorway.

"I know it's kind of late," Emma apologized. "But I was wondering if that room was still available?"

Mary Margaret invited her in, her frown turned into a smile. She no longer felt quite so alone.

~O~

Regina had been distracted all day today. The events surrounded Mary Margaret waking up John Doe, a.k.a. Prince Charming, had alarmed her. The curse she had unleashed on the Enchanted Forest to bring everyone here so she could have her revenge was beginning to weaken. Someone was responsible, but Regina didn't know who that was just yet. Although she couldn't ignore the coincidence that time started right after Emma Swan arrived.

She put Henry to bed, chiding him for his poor judgement and disobedience. She went back downstairs to the kitchen for a drink to help her relax. Reading the newspaper for the first time today Regina became aware of the incident between Claire Kensington and Desiree Collingsworth. She found it quite amusing that Queen Clarion was having a little spat with one of her own.

Picking up the phone, Regina called Sydney Glass, the reporter credited with the story and her inside man at the paper. "Sydney? This incident between Kensington and Collingsworth, keep me informed with any changes, will you?"

"Of course," he replied.

"Excellent." Regina took a sip of her drink. She had to keep vigilant. Snow White ruined her life, but Queen Clarion had kept her from undoing the damage.

* * *

**Whew, boy that was a long episode. But it is now complete. Next chapter will begin Episode 4. **

**I hope you enjoyed this entry. Thank you for reading. Please leave a review.**

**Note: I'm thinking of moving this story to the crossover section after the next episode or two. Thoughts please.**

**BTW, there really is a Pontiac Aztek, it really is uglier than sin and if you do a Google or Yahoo! image search you'll see just how scary ugly it actually is.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 0  
A Pixie Hollow Flashback**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Romano-British Period on the Mainland)

"Your Highness, the Queen is about to give birth," were the very words he had been dreading. Prince Devon was right to be worried. His most beloved wife Queen Clarus was with child, their first. A girl for which they had already selected a name, if she survived.

Nine months earlier the queen's private healing talent informed the royal couple that they were to have a child. It was the most joyous moment of their wedded lives. A few months later, that joy turned to sorrow and heartache. They learned that the pregnancy was not going well and there would be many complications. If the baby survived all nine months it still may not make it. Birth would also be difficult and both mother and daughter would be at great risk.

Prince Devon could not imagine losing either of his precious gifts, much less both. It would be too much for him to endure. Devon was the overseer for the Scouting Talents. He and Queen Clarus had shared a long and sometimes tumultuous romance before agreeing to marry. Both were headstrong, daring and used to having others follow their orders. Fairy Devon often conflicted with Queen Clarus over things like how to defend against the intrusions of human pirates. Clarus insisted on humane methods of defense, whereas Devon wanted to use force. Once this band of humans had found Never Land and heard of the treasure of the Never Fairies they spent every day looking for Pixie Hollow. It could not be found by humans without help from a fairy, but that didn't mean the home of the Never Fairies was safe.

"Pirates," he would often remind her, "are the scum of humanity and are not worthy of our kindness. The Frankish and Saxon pirates who sail our waters steal, plunder, destroy and murder with impunity. They have a taste for the woman they capture and sell others into slavery." Both feared what would happen if some of them ever found Pixie Hollow, yet Clarus fiercely upheld her belief that fairies did not bring harm to humans. Their raving arguments were legendary. So was their incendiary attraction.

Devon did not change his attitudes once he married the queen and was elevated from overseer to Prince of the realm. He simply chose to vent his concerns in the bedroom rather than the conference room. That was how their baby girl was conceived, during a round of passionate lovemaking which had followed a round of equally passionate arguing.

For hours the queen had been isolated in the birthing room where she endured the pains of labor, surrounded only by her healing private healing and nursing talents. He could hear the screams she made from every contraction. They weathered on him, like water beating against even the stoutest of rocks. Finally, he had to leave. No self-respecting prince of the realm could be seen in such an emotional state. If their subjects witnessed his weakness, it would lead to a lack of confidence within the kingdom. Unthinkable.

Prince Devon was not weak by any standard. He had faced down even the most frightening of dangers that threatened their peaceful world. He drove away The Hawk, outwitted Wasps and escaped bats more than once. Even the human pirates were no match for his courageous and resourceful scouts. Yet for all his fortitude, this challenge was different. He could not fight it, outwit it or outfly it. The stakes were also greater, his wife and unborn child. He was helpless to do anything.

Devon sought out solitude near an old palm tree that sat atop a cliff. He sat there, overlooking waters that would later become known as the English Channel. This was where he used to bring the queen for quite dinners. Afterwards they would lean up against the palm tree, cover themselves in a blanket and watch the sun go down. He would take the opportunity to cuddle with her, whisper into her ear or nibble her shoulder. He hoped that once again he could bring his beloved Clarus to this place for more quiet dinners and romantic evenings watching the sun dip behind the far horizon.

Today, though, he wept. He wept for his wife, he wept for his child. He wept for the family he was sure he would never get to see. Life was over for him and he contemplated leaping from this overlook and into the waters below. When a fairy's wings become soaked with water, they act like an anchor and drag down the poor fairy to his or her doom. At least it would be over quickly. The hospital staff knew where to find him with the news, whatever it was. So it was only for him to wait. Time could not pass fast enough.

That's when he showed up. "Hello, Devon," the man said.

Shocked by this presence, Devon drew his sword, a human sewing needle repurposed by the tinkers into a weapon.

"Now, now, is that anyway to greet a guest?" the man said. The needle vanished into purple vapor.

"Who are you?" Devon demanded, his voice strong and intimidating.

The man who stood before Devon was no fairy. He was a human, but of fairy size. His eyes were dark and sunken, his face mottled and glistened in the light. The clothes he wore resembled that of a reptile, perhaps an alligator or crocodile. He smiled, revealing ugly teeth.

"I'm here to help," he said. "You seem to have a problem. I fix problems."

"What is your name? How did you get here? What are you?" Devon growled.

"Ah, ah ,ah, it's not polite to treat your savior in this manner" the man said. "But if you must know, my name is R-R-Rumpelstiltskin. Better known as The Dark One."

"I've never heard of you," Devon replied.

"I'm not surprised," the Dark One answered with a gleeful laugh. "I come from a distant realm. One even you do not know. But that's beside the point. You are in a bind and tossing yourself off this cliff won't make it any better, now will it?"

Prince Devon was dumbstruck. He looked at this ugly looking human, then at the cliff, then back to Rumpelstiltskin. "How did you know?"

"It's my job to know, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin answered. "Now then, are we going to resolve your sticky situation, or do you intend for your child to die before she can even be born and your wife to suffer until she bleeds to death?"

Again Prince Devon demanded to know how he was aware of this news. Again Rumpelstiltskin gave the same cryptic answer, it was his job to know. Devon questioned him further.

"Tsk tsk tsk," The Dark One replied. "The birth is not going well, the queen and the princess will be dead soon. Unless you let me help."

The prince knew this to be true. It was the last update he had received before retreating to this special location. "What can you do?"

"I have magic that can ease the birth and save your family," Rumpelstiltskin answered. "But I warn you, all magic comes with a price!" He added a flourish with his hands and arms for emphasis. The smile on his face never receded.

To Prince Devon, head of the scouts, this did not feel right. For this creature to show up right now when he needed him most with the very solution he required was damning evidence that this person was not to be trusted. Yet if he could indeed save his two treasures… then perhaps it would be worth the risk.

"What's the price?"

Rumpel smiled even harder. "Why, merely an exchange. Your life for theirs."

Devon was horrified. He would be denied the very thing he wanted to keep. A life with his family. But if he did nothing they would die. On the other hand, if he took Rumpelstiltskin's offer, they would live.

"Agreed. Take me with you, just save their lives."

"Oh no, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said. "I'm anything if not a man who believes in family. You can stay until I require your life at some future date."

"When will that be?" Devon asked, apprehensive that he may have just sold his soul to what the humans called The Devil.

"How would I know?" Rumpelstiltskin said with a laugh. "But don't worry, it won't be anytime soon. You'll be able to watch your precious little girl grow up into a lovely princess long before I am ever in need of you."

The Dark One shook his hand in the air. In a puff of purple smoke a long contract unfurled. "Now then, do we have a deal?"

It was clear this demonic creature needed an iron clad contract before proceeding. Devon could still back out by not signing it. The Prince was about to let the healing talents try to save his wife and child when a summoner arrived. When the prince looked around, The Dark One was nowhere to be seen.

"My Prince, the healing talents require your presence," the summoner begged. "The birth does not go well; Queen Clarus is dying, the infant will not survive. The queen wants you at her side so she can say goodbye."

"I'll be right behind you," Prince Devon said. The summoner disappeared into the tall trees.

"Going once!" Rumpelstiltskin had returned.

"Where did you go?" Devon asked.

"Hurry, hurry. I can'na bring them back from the dead. Going twice!"

"You promise to save their lives?!" he pleaded with the horrid looking man.

"I promise. Going thri-."

Prince Devon grabbed the quill from Rumpelstiltskin's fingers and signed the contract. "Done!"

"Done indeed," he answered. Rumpel let out an impish giggle. "Now go, your wife and child await."

Devon knew he had done something terribly wrong. He felt forced into it. But if Rumpelstiltskin kept his promise then all would be well in the hospital.

When the doors to the birthing room flung open, there on the table was his beautiful queen. In her hands, wrapped in swaddling clothes was this tiny newborn fairy. Their baby girl, a princess with golden colored stubs on her back for wings.

Clarus looked at her husband with an exhausted, but wondrous smile. "You came."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," he answered her.

"It looked like we were going to lose both of them," the healing talent said. "Then, like magic, everything improved and your baby was born strong and healthy."

Tears spilled down the proud papa's cheeks as he nodded. Prince Devon took the bundle into his arms. Their little one had survived. Rumpelstiltskin had kept his promise. With all the good cheer that surrounded this moment, Devon wondered just how long he had left. How many years would he get with his baby girl? He had no answer and promised to make every moment count. One thing he would not do, was tell anyone about his contract with Rumpelstiltskin. That was a secret he would take to his grave. Let his family be happy, no need to cast a dark shadow over their lives.

Devon kissed Clarus on the temples. "How are you feeling, Momma?"

She smiled and almost laughed, but was too tired. "I'm just fine. How is the Daddy?"

"Overjoyed that both of you are still with me," he said.

"We made it, thanks to the healing talents. They took good care of us."

The healers bowed in appreciation, but even they had no idea what happened.

Devon knelt beside his wife and placed the delicate bundle of joy back into her arms. "Say hi to mommy," he said to the child.

Clarus smiled and tried to laugh again. The infant's eyes were still closed and it couldn't understand a word they were saying. But the queen couldn't resist. "Say hi to daddy."

Devon kissed his wife again, then Clarus added, "Welcome to the world our precious Clarion."

* * *

**This chapter is a stand alone flashback. It will begin to establish a series of events that will, in total, detail how Regina came to target Clarion and her Never Fairies with the curse. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review.**

**Note: I chose the name Clarus for Clarion's mother because the Latin clarus is the root word for clarion.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 1**

The events described take place before, during and after the fourth episode of the first season titled "The Price of Gold."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Even with the reassurances of her youngest, Claire still felt the uneasiness in her stomach every time her cell phone rang. The story on the front page of the Saturday edition of The Daily Mirror was doing its damage. Several clients with small jobs pending called to inform her that they were hiring someone else to do the scheduled work. Today alone, Mrs. Kensington had already lost two lawn mowing jobs, a kitchen faucet replacement and a shelf installation at the house of Albert Spencer, Storybrooke's District Attorney. He informed Claire that if her employees were indeed responsible for the theft he would look into pressing charges against her if she were not be able to make proper restitution.

"Damn lawyers," she muttered under her breath after hanging up the cell phone. "They always want to sue the little guy because they know we can't afford to defend ourselves."

Claire opened the today's newspaper and began looking through the classifieds section. It was the extra thick Sunday edition. If Mrs. Collingsworth's iPad wasn't found soon, her business would fail from lack of clientele and she would have to look for a regular job. That is, if anyone was willing to hire her.

The business Claire Kensington owned was a sole proprietorship. In essence, the company was not viewed as a separate legal entity from the owner. Any profits made were claimed as part of the owner's personal income tax. Further, the business owner was held personally responsible for all debts should the company fail and could not pay creditors in full. If Claire did not have the money to pay what Kensington Contractors owed, then her property could be seized and sold to compensate those who loaned her money or sold to her on credit.

Just the thought made her shudder. Claire sighed and wished she could have formed an LLC or PLLC. An LLC and PLLC were forms of Limited Liability Companies in which each investor's financial liability was limited to the amount that person invested into the business. No investor could be held personally responsible for the entirety of money owed by the LLC to creditors except under very special circumstances. Unfortunately, it was too late to do that now.

_Well, at least it will be fun to watch the bank and Mr. Gold fight it out for the house_, she mused. The smile on her face lasted only five seconds. That was how long it took for the phone to ring again. Another cancellation.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Period)

Rosetta the garden fairy and Sled the winter animal sparrow man were perched atop a tall pine tree in the Frost Forest area of the Winter Woods. It was late at night and the frost fairies who practiced their talent in these trees had since retired for the evening or were carousing at their guild's tavern on the others side of the forest.

The two lovers were gazing skyward at the full moon and shimmering stars. Sled wrapped his arm around Rosetta's waist and pulled her close. She was dressed in her winter coat and stockings. Rosetta was a proper garden fairy and, as always, wore a dress, never pants or leggings. She had kicked off her warm, cotton lined winter boots so she could rub her feet against his. Both were snugly wrapped inside a blanket.

"Oh, isn't the night sky beautiful, Sled?" she asked him.

"Umm hmm," he answered.

"The stars are really sparkling tonight, too," she breathed.

"Yes, but they don't sparkle nearly as brilliant as your eyes," he added.

She cooed, laying her head onto his chest. She heard the constant beating of Sled's heart. Rosetta felt comforted knowing that it beat only for her. Sled responded by kissing her gently on the top of her head. Ro hadn't felt as wonderful as she did in this moment. It was sheer bliss.

A few minutes passed and Ro turned to look up at the night sky again. "I wonder," she mumbled.

"What? What did you say, Ro," Sled asked her.

"Oh nothing. I was just wondering if Tinker Bell were looking up at this very same night sky," she said.

Tinker Bell had left Pixie Hollow to go on adventures with Peter Pan more than eight seasons ago. She and Terence had a terrible and very public falling out not long before she left. Everyone knew the disintegration of her relationship with the dust keeper was the impetus for her leaving with the magical human boy. If they had remained together, Terence would have been the anchor that would have kept Tink in Pixie Hollow.

"I wonder what she's been doing." Sled muttered innocently.

"Oh, the usual," Rosetta answered. "Fighting pirates, scaring the cannibals and having wars with the Indians."

Sled laughed. "You almost sound like an authority on Peter Pan."

"Heh, yeah. Old boyfriend."

"Heh, heh. Wait? Did you say 'old boyfriend?' Peter Pan is one of your many exes? Ro, he's a human boy!"

"Oh don't worry about it, Sugarpie," she said kissing him on the lips. "It's not like anything happened 'tween us. That's what I get for trying to make a boyfriend out of a twelve year old. He was too interested in pirates and having fun to really notice. I just hope poor Tinker Bell isn't setting herself up for a fall just like I did. She had that same look in her eyes every young girl gets when they first meet him."

"Even you?"

"Even me." Rosetta got an amused look on her face. "Are you jealous of that boy?"

"No! Not exactly. Well, maybe. A little."

"Don't be. It's all behind me now. You have nothing to worry about, Sled. It's just you and me from now on."

A smile stretched across his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled from it a small box. He gripped it tightly in his hand. His heart beat faster. She noticed.

"Shoog? Is something wrong?"

"Ro, I have a question for you."

The garden fairy began to look nervous. "What is it?"

"You love me? Right?"

"Wha? Of course I do. Now why would you ask such a silly question?"

"I love you, Ro. With all of my heart," he said.

"I know that, too," she said.

"Rosetta, our relationship has hit a…, we are at a point where we can't…, what I'm saying is…"

"What exactly are you saying, Sled?!" Rosetta asked, looking particularly unnerved.

He sat up and held out his hand, displaying the small box. With the other hand he opened it, revealing a sparkling engagement band. Then he said, "Rosetta, the fairy of my dreams, will you marry me?"

She exploded with squeals of joy and gleefulness. Rosetta held out her left hand so that Sled could put the ring on her finger. She wrapped him in her arms and kissed him eagerly.

Then the excited garden fairy launched into the air and started to fly loop the loops, cartwheels and then spun about like a top. Her pixie dust went flying everywhere. Descending back to the tree she landed right at his feet, standing toe to toe with him.

"So is that a 'Yes?'" he asked.

"Eh, I'll have to think about it." She started to grin from ear to ear. "Of course it's a yes, sweetie pie." Ro and Sled embraced each other mightily.

"Oh, I can't wait to tell the other girls about this," she said. Eventually, her words began to run together like the incoherent babblings of a child.

"Ro, Rosetta slow down, you're going to burst something. Stop." But she kept on babbling. Finally, he took her into his arms and kissed her long and hard.

When they parted lips she cooed, "Oh my-y! I'm going to like being married to you."

Sled laughed, then they kissed. And then some more, and more still. All in the pleasant glow of the full moon.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"It's Sunday and that sticky fingered woman still hasn't returned my iPad," Desiree was saying to her assistant. Her thick southern accent on full display. Dee, as she was sometimes called, flicked her hair, always aware of her status as an on air personality. She had to put on a show for her dedicated fans no matter where in Storybrooke she went. She loved every minute of it.

Her assistant, Portia, an attractive but serious looking blonde in her late twenties was acting as a chauffeur today. Portia had brought Desiree to the local ice cream parlor to scout it as a location for shooting. They had arrived in Ms. Collingsworth's new and very expensive Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG 4MATIC sedan. A vehicle with a starting price tag of $139,000 (US Dollars), though Desiree preferred to lease than buy.

Desiree knew next to nothing about cars, but she loved to talk about the S63's "specs." All she did was regurgitate the same information the salesman told her. It had a hand crafted V-8 engine that generated 577 horsepower and could attain 60 mph from a dead stop in 3.7 seconds. Of course, she had no idea what any of that meant, but it sounded impressive enough to her and to anyone who asked.

Desiree's producers were interested in highlighting local shops. They wanted a place with charm and character. A place that the residents of Storybrooke frequented. That was why she made the ice cream store her first stop. It was a popular gathering place for individuals, couples in love and families. Desiree should have been in a better mood. This place had all the desirable qualities she and her producers had been searching for, but all she could focus on was her missing tablet.

"I tell you, Portia, if I don't get my computer back by nightfall I'll eviscerate that woman on television tomorrow morning," Desiree said angrily.

"Perhaps you should consider withholding your opinion," Portia advised. "Mrs. Kensington may sue for defamation if you go too far. Then you would be seen as the villain and she would be viewed quite sympathetically."

Desiree stopped dead in her tracks. "Ooh, you're right. I better get my lawyers on this. You're a lifesaver, Portia." She reached into her pantsuit pocket and withdrew her iPhone to contact her attorney.

Before dialing a single number, Desiree started to admire her reflection in the glass. She turned her head to one side and the other, playfully flipping her red hair. Then she looked at her whole body in profile. She pushed up her bosom and made smoochie faces at herself. "Be straight with me, do you think I would attract more viewers if I got breast enhancement surgery?"

"Only if you are interested in attracting lonely single men who download porn all day," Portia answered. Desiree had asked that question of her at least once a week. Portia didn't have to stop and think about her answer anymore, she just spit it out like a well-rehearsed line.

"Oooh, I don't have that demographic, do I?" Desiree answered, excited at the prospect of increasing her ratings.

"The real question is, do you _want_ to attract that demographic?"

"Oh, Sugarpie, I don't care who's watching as long as they're watching."

Desiree needed to increase her numbers because other morning shows were taking away viewers. National cable shows like _Dr. Phil_, syndicated fair such as reruns of _I Love Lucy_ and ESPN 2's sports themed _Mike and Mike in the Morning_ were popular among likely viewers in Storybrooke in that time slot. The producers of _Storybrooke This Morning_ needed to pry those viewers from their favorite shows and convince them to switch to the local talk show.

Highlighting popular venues in town was one idea that won approval in production meetings. Desiree's idea for increasing the size of her bosom was entirely her own. She thought it might make for a popular running storyline. Portia was afraid it might backfire and lead to a decline in viewership over what she imagined would be dubbed "Boobgate." So far, Portia had been able to convince her employer not to go through with the procedure. However, with ratings hitting all-time lows, she might not be able to keep Desiree from undergoing that foolish surgery.

"I think I'll run this idea by my producers this afternoon," Desiree said. "I've always been unhappy with my figure. I want to look like a woman, not a boy."

"You look very much like a woman, Dee," Portia answered. "You made this year's list of most eligible bachelorettes in Storybrooke, remember?"

"I remember, and I wasn't even in the top ten," Desiree spat. "Do you know why that waitress Ruby Lucas took the number one spot in the poll? Boobies! I want to be number one in this town and if it takes boobs the size of Buick Roadmasters then that's what I'm going to do."

"Then you might want to schedule a back surgery to go with those giant melons," Portia added. "You're going to need it. And by the way, Ruby took the number one spot because she's a tramp. So if you want to be number one in the reader's poll of The Daily Mirror, you're going to have to sleep with half the men in this town."

"Do I look easy?"

"With those giant boobs you will?"

"Good, that's what I want. To _look_ easy without having to_ be_ easy. What helps me top that reader's poll will also help bring in more viewers. I'm going to get that surgery. Oooh, then I'll need a whole new wardrobe. I can do an entire week of me shopping to my heart's content. Now that, Sugarpie, is a win-win situation."

Portia sighed and rolled her eyes. "I have a bad feeling about this."

**~O~**

A second before Desiree and Portia were to enter the ice cream parlor a panel van with the words WINTER'S HEATING painted on the side drove up. It turned into the parking spot next to Desiree's car and pulled a little too close for her comfort.

"Hey," Desiree yelled. "Hey, you. Yeah, you jarhead. You nearly scratched my brand new Merc-."

When the door to the van opened out stepped the most breathtakingly handsome man Desiree had ever laid eyes on. He was tall, well built, with dark hair, a strong chin and piercing eyes. "Hi," he said with a deep, masculine voice.

"Oh my," Desiree gasped. She smiled and giggled at him. A woman who was paid to never be at a loss for words, couldn't think of a thing to say. The man walked passed Desiree. Her eyes stayed fixated on him the entire way. He stepped to the door before stopping. He turned around, a concerned look on his face.

"Can I help you?" he asked. She grinned uncontrollably, shaking her head in a way that made her red hair jostle playfully. It wasn't intentional, but the effect was the same.

He smiled back at her. "My name is Ned," he said, introducing himself.

"Ohmythat'sperfect!" she all but shouted out in one breath. "I mean. Nice to meet you. I'm Desiree."

"From _Storybrooke This Morning_, I've seen your show."

"Oh, it's gratifying to meet a fan," she cooed.

Ned took her hand in his, pulled it to his lips and gently kissed her fingers. "It's been a pleasure." Ned then turned and walked into the ice cream shop. Desiree fainted into Portia's arms, who struggled to keep her employer upright. Unfortunately, the tiny woman couldn't support the weight of the limp TV star and both ended up sprawled on the sidewalk.

"Are you putting on weight?" she asked the unconscious Desiree. "Yeah, I think you're putting on weight. Just my luck."

* * *

**I do hope you are enjoying this story so far. Thank you for reading and please leave a review. **

**Scorecard: **

**Portia = Viola**

**Ned = Sled**

**Desiree = Rosetta**


	18. Chapter 18

**Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 2**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Seconds later, Desiree was awake. In truth, it was all just an act, more or less. She really did swoon after the brief encounter with Ned, Dee just played it up for effect. Now she was sitting in the cool environs of the ice cream shop and was "recovering" nicely from her fainting spell.

"I heard what you said," Dee grumbled to Portia. "I'm not getting fat. You know how sensitive I am about my weight."

"You went limp, I couldn't hold you," Portia answered quietly.

"That's what happens when you're a ninety pound weakling," Desiree snapped under her breath. "Now go outside and break my car."

Portia was just about to get up when it occurred to her that Dee's request made absolutely no sense. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, break my car. I want to spend some time with that…, that gorgeous hunk of manhood over there," Desiree answered, speaking about Ned.

**~O~**

Ned was at the counter talking with the bouncy, giggly girl behind the counter. She was a blonde with hair so bleached it almost hurt Desiree's eyes. Her name tag read "Tess." The other person behind the counter, a raven haired woman with a snarky attitude, Mike (short for Michelle), was watching with amusement as Ned got nowhere with the jiggling giggler.

"OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh," the skinny little blonde blathered. "Are you here to fix our air conditioner?"

"Yes, I am," Ned replied, smiling.

"EEEEEEEE! Did you hear that, Mikey?" she rambled to the dark haired woman. "He's here to the fix the air conditioner. Oh that's just so awesome, it hasn't worked right all week long."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard, Tess. Now stick it in neutral and let the guy do his job," the raven haired Mike said. She turned to Ned. "Come on, I'll show you to the air handler." She led him into the backroom.

"EEEEEEEEE! We're finally going to get our air conditioner working again."

**~O~**

"Do you think she's high?" Desiree asked her assistant, commenting on Tess, the giggly genki girl.

"Like she's been mainlining Red Bull and Crystal Meth all day long," Portia answered. "Now then, how do you propose I go about disabling your vehicle?"

"I don't know, pull out something important. Wires, spark plugs, little funny colored boxes."

"You mean fuses?"

"Whatever they are called, just start yanking!" Desiree snapped.

Portia shook her head in disgust and then face palmed. This was an even worse idea than breast enhancement surgery. Although not by much. Her employer did not own the car outright, she was just paying for the right to drive it around town for a couple of years.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"An asteroid to hit and put me out my misery."

"Don't backtalk to me, Missy, now get out there and disable my car."

Portia did as instructed, quietly slipping out of the shop and silently making her way to the expensive luxury vehicle. All the while she kept thinking to herself, _dumbest…idea…ever! _ She opened the driver's side door of the Mercedes-Benz and looked underneath the steering column. Within the foot well for the driver she found a few small wires tucked away. She saw one of them was connected with a white plastic plug held together with molded clip. Portia reached underneath and separated the connection, leaving the plug just together enough to look like it wasn't undone.

She got up, dusted herself off and closed the door. Walking back inside, Portia noticed that Ned was walking out of the backroom. He was carrying a large box like object in his hand. It looked filthy, covered with layers of dust compressed against its middle.

"You just need a clean air filter," he told the dark haired girl. "I'll get one from the van and install it right away."

"You see! I told you we needed a filter," the genki girl jabbered. "But you don't ever listen to me. NeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNev…"

"Okay, okay, I get the point," the dark haired girl answered. "Suddenly you're an expert on air conditioning units."

"Mean!"

"Yup, get used to it."

Portia sat down next to her employer. "I see their having a spat."

"Oh hush," she said, waiting for her hunk to walk back into the store. When Ned returned he came in with another of the same box like objects. Only this one was clean and the filter part was more obvious. He disappeared into the backroom again. "Okay, let's go," Dee whispered to her assistant.

"What? Go where?"

"To the car, where else." Desiree stood, acted a bit lightheaded to keep up the appearance of her fainting and then said, "Oh my, I think I'll be going home now. Drive me there, will you?"

Desiree then slowly walked out of the shop. She and Portia got into the Mercedes. Portia started up the car, but was yelled at by her employer.

"NO! Don't turn on the engine!" Desiree instructed.

"Huh?"

"Turn off the car, turn off the car!" she screeched.

Portia did as instructed, turning the key and killing the engine. "Okay, now what?"

"We wait for that gorgeous hunk of man meat to leave the shop."

"Have I ever thanked you for including me in your hunt for the perfect man?"

"No, but your welcome," Desiree cooed.

"Yeah, I wasn't actually thanking you," Portia said. "I just wanted to make sure I never had before."

**~O~**

Inside the shop, Ned was thanking Tess and Mike for being such loyal customers. He prepared an invoice for services rendered, but then stopped and asked if he could put some tri-fold flyers in their store. They agreed and Ned changed the total due to zero. "Well just call it even. When you're done with these I'll bring you more." He left handful of the flyers in their possession and walked out the door, waving goodbye.

**~O~**

"Quick, where did you break my expensive Mercedes?" Desiree asked.

"I loosened a plug under the steering wheel," Portia replied.

"Good, I'll try and maneuver him there. Here he comes!" Dee shouted. "Get out of the car," she added, banging on the driver's seatback. Portia tried to get out, but some idiot in the backseat kept kicking her chair. Finally, Desiree jumped out of the car and wailed, "Oh, whoa is me. Something is wrong with my car."

"Here, let me help," Ned answered. "I'll call a tow truck."

"NO! I mean, I'm sure you're more than qualified to fix whatever the problem is," she cooed, trying to sound as helpless as possible.

"Well, I'm not very handy with these foreign cars," he told her.

"Oh, a big, strong man like you. I'm sure you can fix anything."

Portia wanted to gag. That was the worst, most clichéd acting she had ever heard. Second graders putting on a school play were better than this. If this kept up much longer, she was going to quit and look for something that was more rewarding, like a porn star.

_Oh great, then I'll be the one all those lonely guys will be staring at_, she grumbled. _ If these are my only two options, then my life stinks._

"Pop the hood and I'll take a look," Ned instructed the redheaded tv star.

"Why, we have no idea how to do that," Desiree said with a sultry voice.

"It's right here," Portia said, pointing under the dash.

"WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS!" Desiree screamed at Portia. Then the redhead giggled and asked Portia to exit the vehicle so that nice man could look for the hood release.

"I can openYAAA!" Desiree yanked her assistant out of the vehicle. Portia rotated her arm several times and rubbed her shoulder to ease the pain of being unceremoniously jerked from the car.

"Thanks," he said to Dee. He turned to Portia with concern for the slim girl's health. "Are you okay?"

"Oh she's fine," Desiree said pouring on the southern charm. "Now about my car."

"Yeah, sure." Ned ducked into the driver's side door and looked around underneath the dash. He found the hood release handle and reached for it. He saw the loose plug and pushed it back together, making a good connection and tucking the wire back into it's compartment under the dash. He was about to slide back out when he noticed something under the seat.

Desiree watched with doe eyed fervor as the tall man stood up. "Look what I found," he said holding up something silver.

"My iPad!" Desiree squealed. "Oh where did you find it?"

"Under your seat," Ned told her.

"Oh, you are my hero," she gasped. "I've been looking for this all weekend long."

"I know, I read the article in the paper yesterday."

"Oh, that reminds me, I should call that nice Mr. Glass and inform him that my iPad is no longer missing. I'm sure he'll want to write a front page article about how my knight in shining armor saved my career." Desiree punctuated her statement by making goo-goo eyes at Ned. She handed off her phone to Portia and instructed her to make the call. Desiree then wrapped her arm around Ned's and asked him if he would like some ice cream. A reward for being such a charming and handsome hero.

**~O~**

"Mayor Mills," the voice of Sydney Glass came though the receiver with a bit of worry.

"Yes, Sydney, what is it?" Regina replied.

"I have bad news," he informed her. "Collingsworth found her iPad. It was under the seat of her car."

"Well, now that is bad news."

"Desiree wants me write an article detailing how she found the tablet," he said.

"Go ahead and write the article, Sydney. But keep it short and sweet. Then bury it. Put somewhere in the newspaper where no one will see it."

"Yes, Mayor Mills."

"Word has it that the Mrs. Kensington is losing customers left and right," Regina explained. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of her collapse."

"Of course, Regina," Sydney replied. "I'll bury that story. But what about Desiree? She has that television show. She'll mention it on air and the whole city will know."

"Leave that to me, Sydney," Regina told him. "I'll have her producers come up with some legal mumbo jumbo about why she can't say a word about it on television."

"You never fail to surprise me, Regina."

"No, Sydney, I never do."

Things were falling into place nicely for Regina. The iPad incident was a golden opportunity for her. Soon Clarion would be out of a job, out of her home and living on the streets. A fitting fall from grace for that fairy queen that kept Regina from reclaiming her life. With Clarion out of the way, she could now devote all her time to more pressing matters. First she had to permanently drive a wedge between her son Henry and Emma Swan, then Regina had to keep Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan apart. As with Claire Kensington, Regina would look for her opportunity and then exploit it for all it was worth.

* * *

**Note: The giggly "genki" girl (Tess) is Gliss, her dark haired friend (Mike, short for Michelle) is Spike.** **They run the ice cream parlor.  
**

**Thanks to I Luv Milarion 1201 for suggesting the Storybrooke names for Spike and Gliss.**

**I hope everyone likes this chapter. Please leave a review. Thanks.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 3**

* * *

Early Monday morning, Mrs. Kensington received a visitor. Sheriff Graham was at her door. He was dressed, as always, in a shirt with matching vest and tie. As the weather was turning cold he added a jacket over his nice clothes.

She was still dressed in her robe.

"Oh, sheriff, I'm sorry I must look affright in my morning clothes," she said.

"You look fine, Mrs. Kensington," he said with a smile. "I have some good news for you."

"Well, I could certainly use some," she said.

"Ms. Collingsworth found her iPad," Graham told her.

Claire's mood instantly lightened up. "She did? Where?"

"It was under her car seat," Graham informed her. "She must have hid it there the last time she left the studio. Probably stopped somewhere before going home and didn't want it to be stolen."

Claire laughed at the surreal nature of it all. "Well now isn't that something? How ironic."

Graham smiled again. He had a good heart and preferred to bring good news to people rather than the bad. Moments like this made his work as sheriff rewarding and affirming. "I just thought you would like to know."

"Oh yes," Claire answered happily. Claire told him that she had been losing business all weekend long since the story appeared in the newspaper. He told her a new story will be in today's edition and would set everything straight.

"Keep an eye out for it. By the way, how is Valerie? Still causing trouble for you?"

"Oh no, ever since she read the newspaper article she has been minding herself. Mostly."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear," he answered. "You have so much on your plate and you deserve a break. Good day, Mrs. Kensington."

Graham turned and went back to his police cruiser. Claire closed the door and when she was certain that the sheriff was out of earshot let out a joyous yell. "YEEAAAAOOOWWWW!" Her two girls came running downstairs. She explained to them that the TV lady found her iPad, Claire wouldn't be held responsible and a news article would detail the mix-up. Hopefully, clients would start to come back and soon.

**~O~**

Regina sat in the mayor's office reading the tiny newspaper article. Sydney had brought her an early copy so she could see her handiwork. The article read:

_Tablet mystery solved.  
by Sydney Glass_

_Desiree Collingsworth's missing iPad was found under her car seat yesterday. She had left it there while going out for lunch when she last left the set of her television show. The tablet was reported missing last week. The early morning talk show host was quoted as saying, "Silly me."_

No mention was made of Ned who found it or Claire's business. The article was meant to be clean of any such references. The intention was a) no one would see it since it was mixed in with the classifieds and b) if anyone did stumble across the article they probably wouldn't make an immediate association with Kensington Contractors or the front page article that ran Saturday. Claire's reputation would still be held in low regard by the townspeople. Her business would continue to suffer until she would be forced to shut down.

"Well done, Sydney, I have a use for you after all," Regina said. She disliked useless things and whenever Sydney could not deliver what she wanted, Regina would declare him "useless" and threatened to get him fired. Though Regina didn't have the direct authority to do it, she had the political clout to force his dismissal were she so inclined.

"Glad you approve," he said, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Don't get too smug yet," she said. "You still haven't made up for bungling the Emma Swan history that I asked for when she first arrived. Speaking of which, I need you to look deeper into her past. Find out where she's lived, what jobs she's had and how long. I want income tax returns, credit card and bank statements. Anything that will give me leverage against her."

"You mean anything you can use as leverage to pry her and Henry apart," he summarized.

"Don't try to think, Sydney, that's my job," Regina hissed. "Now go and do what you are told."

"Right away, Madam Mayor." Sydney Glass nodded his head to her and then left the office to do her bidding. Keeping Henry away from Emma was paramount right now for Regina. The Swan woman was becoming more and more a thorn in her side. Her recent success at reviving David Nolan only enraged Regina. Not only did Emma undo a major component of her dark curse, but it gave Mary Margaret hope for the future. Something Regina dearly did not want her to have. Now she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. All that was needed was the right moment.

**~O~**

Emma had spent the better part of Sunday consoling Mary Margaret Blanchard. The school teacher was so heartbroken when Regina informed her that the handsome John Doe was happily married. Emma could not understand why someone as level headed as Mary Margaret could get so caught up in Henry's imaginations. No one in Storybrooke was a fairy tale character. Fairy tales were by definition, fictional, and therefore none could be alive and well in a town on the coast of Maine.

For her part, Mary Margaret was responding well to Emma's presence as a house mate. Ms. Blanchard had lived her adult life alone, with no other roommates or companionship in her life. The woman really seemed to come more alive with Emma around. Emma liked that she could be at ease around Mary Margaret. There was little false about this woman. She had lived the life of falsehoods and learned it was fraught with dangerous liabilities and turncoats at every corner. It was the reason why she found it so hard to trust anyone. Yet for some reason, Emma believed she could trust Mary Margaret. It was an odd sensation and the bail bonds woman couldn't nail down why she felt this way.

**~O~**

At the office of Winter's Heating, Ned was talking with Hartley about the woman he had met yesterday at the ice cream parlor. He found her beautiful, though a bit of a flake.

"She was hitting on me, no doubt about it," Ned told his business partner.

"Who is this mystery woman?"

"Desiree Collingsworth," Ned answered.

"The host of _Storybrooke This Morning_?"

Ned nodded his head yes. Hartley told him to be careful with media stars. They could be incredibly vain and selfish, insulated from their own consequences by the people that surround them. Ned understood this, but still thought the relationship might be worth pursuing. "Who knows, this could be real love."

"I know that feeling," Hartley said. His wistful look clued in Ned immediately.

"Mrs. Kensington?"

Now it was Hartley's turn to nod. "I can't stop thinking about her. There is just something about that woman that just won't let me be."

Ned confided in Hartley that he had always had strong feelings toward Desiree from the first moment he had seen her on television. Of course, since Desiree was a celebrity and Ned was just a small business guy he never thought he had a chance with such a lovely lady. "That she actually finds me attractive, well it's sort of like the planets have aligned."

"Then go after her," Hartley advised. "Show her how much you love and care for her."

"How do I do that?"

Hartley told him that in his experiences women wanted two things. First a woman wanted to know a man was reliable and trustworthy. "That's their practical side." But a woman also wanted to live a romantic fantasy. "Treat her like a princess, make her the center of your universe and she will love you even more. And once she is yours, do not ever take her for granted. You can never destroy her fantasy."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Ned observed.

"Yes, but it can be very rewarding," Hartley told him.

"If you could date Mrs. Kensington, would you do that? Help her live a romantic fantasy?"

"My boy, that was how Charlie landed her and kept Claire happy for their entire marriage."

"Alright, if it worked for him, it might work for me," Ned concluded.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Period on the Mainland)

"What should we do today, Ro?" Sled asked his fiancée. "I thought you might like an owl ride across the forests and watch the Northern Lights from atop Never Peak Mountain."

"Hmm…, no. I don't think so," she dismissed casually.

Sled was somewhat perplexed by this. Rosetta had expressed interest in watching the Northern Lights in the past and he gone to the trouble of setting up a romantic dinner just for the two of so they could share a little one on one time together in a wonderful setting.

"Those are some beautiful lights, Rosetta," he told her, trying to get her to agree. "They'll be particularly easy to see tonight. A clear sky, a waning moon and perch atop the highest point on the island."

"Not interested," she answered back glibly. "I think we should go into the Summer Gardens and meet with the other garden fairies. Ooh, we want to design some new floral arrangements for the queen. Would you be our stand in, Sled?"

"That would require an awful lot of ice to keep me cool over there, Ro," he answered. "And I would have to dress up like the queen."

"Hmmph, I get the feeling you don't want to spend time with me anymore," she said with a huff.

"What? Of course I want to spend time with you, Ro," he replied, sounding a bit confused and off balance.

"Oh good, then we'll expect you tomorrow morning after breakfast," she said.

"What's gotten into you, Rosetta?" he asked her, frustrated. "Ever since you accepted my proposal you've been acting more and more, I don't know, crazy."

"WHAT?! I am not crazy. You take that back this instant, sir!" she demanded.

Sled explained why he had made these plans for them atop Never Peak Mountain. He was sure she would find his gesture romantic and endearing. Instead, she dressed him down, saying she didn't want someone to control her time or make decisions for her.

Sled was confused, irritated, exasperated and downright angry. Rosetta was a different fairy since she accepted his proposal of marriage. She refused to do anything he suggested. Ro insisted that they only do what she wanted.

"If you want to watch some goofy lights in the night sky you can go and watch them yourself!" Rosetta screamed.

"Well I wouldn't want to keep you in chains," Sled spat.

"Fine," she yanked off the ring and threw it into his face. "If you aren't willing to put aside your selfish needs for little old me, then the wedding is off!" With that, Rosetta turned on her heels and stormed away.

**~O~**

"I don't know, Lord Milori," Sled told him, exasperated. "Something is definitely wrong."

The Lord of Winter only chuckled.

"What?"

"She is testing you," he said.

Sled cocked a confused eyebrow.

"Rosetta wants to know that you will put aside everything just for her," Milori advised him.

"That's stupid!" Sled remarked. "Why would she need to test me? I love her, isn't that enough?"

"Not for a woman, they need to know the depth and breadth of that love."

"Did Queen Clarion do that to you?"

"Oh yes, my boy. She did indeed," Milori admitted. "It was a difficult time in our relationship, but we both persevered and our love has never been stronger."

Sled growled and grumbled and shook his head. Then he ran his hands through his hair, mussing it up as he grumbled some more. "I don't know. It sounds like she's playing head games with me."

"That, dear boy, is the very foundation of marriage," Milori said. "At least from a woman's point of view. They always have to test us, play games and ensure we aren't going to leave them."

"It sounds like they are insecure about their relationships," Sled concluded.

"Sometimes they can be," Milori said. "The more insecure, the more they play games with us. Just do as she says, never contradict her and you'll be just fine."

"I feel like I have to lose my snowballs just to make her happy" Sled added.

"Yes, you do."

"Well what about us? When do we get to be happy?"

"When I found out, I'll let you know," Milori said with a sly grin.

"You're pulling my wings, aren't you?" Sled answered. "This whole time you've been handing me a one big steaming pile of Owl poop, haven't you?"

Milori chuckled again. "Indeed, I have. The best advice I can give you is to go talk to her. The strongest relationships are founded on two people who can talk openly with each other. Do that and both of you will be happy together."

"All right, I'll give it a try, but she didn't seem too keen on talking the last time I saw her," Sled told The Lord of Winter before winging off to the summer gardens.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"It's not here," Claire said, flipping through the pages of The Daily Mirror. "It's not here, Sheriff Graham told me this morning there would be an article confirming everything I told you about the Collingsworth iPad."

"Sure, he did," Granny told her with a suspicious tone. "Look, I've got other customers to take care of, so either order breakfast or leave."

_Thief_. She didn't say it outright, but Claire could practically hear that word in Granny's voice. She could feel that same sentiment from every pair of eyes that set upon her inside the diner. She looked around, but each person quickly went back to their meals, keeping their eyes turned away from her.

"It's the truth!" Claire begged. "It wasn't my fault! No one in my employment took anything from anyone."

"If that were true, why didn't we hear Desiree say something about it on her TV show this morning?" Leroy said, voicing the one question everyone wanted to ask.

"I don't know, she should have said something," Claire responded. Her voice was cracking and her body trembled. "Talk to Sheriff Graham yourself. He'll tell you."

"We don't need to talk to him," Leroy pronounced. "I know a liar when I see one." The short, stout man who worked as a janitor at the hospital threw down his money on the counter to pay for his meal. He got up from his chair, but stopped and said to Claire, "Don't start thinking you can take that. It doesn't belong to you."

"Leroy, I'm not a thief," Claire replied. She clutched the crumpled newspaper to her chest, trying to create a shield, a barrier of any kind between her and the people she knew were judging her.

"I dislike turning away paying customers," Granny said. "But I don't take kindly to people who steal. Please take your business elsewhere."

She was stunned, Claire's eyes were wide as saucers. This place held many fond memories for her. Charlie brought her here for their first date. Then he brought her back on their first wedding anniversary. Both Valerie and Tina had their fifth birthday parties here and Granny gave both of them cake with a candle. This was where they celebrated Valerie getting a learner's permit. It was also where she and the girls came after Charlie's funeral. Widow Lucas, Granny, was the first to console them as they walked in the door.

This little diner played a large role in the lives of her family members. Now she was banished from it forever. With no story in the newspaper Claire could never prove her innocence. All that stress and self-doubt was coming back again. She worried about her children. _Where would we live? Would I be able to find work? Who would hire me? How will we eat? What am I going to do?_

Claire slowly climbed back into her work truck, feeling completely dejected. Instead of being a spectator in her own life, she decided to take action. From her cell phone Claire called the Sheriff's Office to speak with Graham, but he wasn't available. All she could do was leave a message.

"I hope he calls me back."

A moment later her cell phone rang. She thought it was Graham, but the Caller ID read "Winter, Hartley."

"Oh please not now," she grumbled. Unwilling to take the call, she let it go to voicemail.

Rather than sit and wait, Claire drove to the renovation house. There was a surprise awaiting her there, too. No one was doing any work.

"What's going on?" she asked Valerie, who had driven to the work site on her motorcycle.

The homeowner stepped forward and informed Claire that until the matter with the iPad was resolved to his satisfaction all work was to stop on the house. She tried to convince him that the tablet was found, but like before, when the homeowner called the sheriff there was no answer.

"I'm sorry, Claire, but I can't have you working on this house until I know for certain what happened," he told her. With no work for them to do, Claire had to release the workers for the day, but now they were asking for a full day's pay. They would have to try and find other work and most of the better jobs were already taken by day laborers, they argued.

Claire was about to agree when Valerie stepped up. "You didn't do anything but drive here," the young woman said angrily.

"We can't find more work today, girly," one of them said with condescension dripping from his voice.

_Oh no you didn't!_ Valerie barked and roared, "If you can't find work it's because you're not trying hard enough! Now get the hell out of here! No work, no pay!" She was letting out all of her pent up anger that was usually reserved for her mother and directing it at them.

The workmen paid her little heed and instead pressed Claire even harder. This time she didn't budge, "No work, no pay. That was our agreement from the beginning." Her voice was meek, but she repeated herself and the workmen backed down. When they left, Claire grabbed Valerie in a giant bear hug. "Oh, Sweetie, you were great!"

Valerie just wriggled free. "Don't touch me!" she yelled. "I'm still mad that you made an appointment with that shrink for me because you think I'm crazy."

"No, Valerie, he's going to help us work things out," Claire told her. In a familiar replay of previous events, Val jumped onto her bike and brought it roaring to life.

"Where are you going?" Claire asked her.

"I'm going to see Kyle," she answered. Then Valerie rocketed down the street on her Harley Davidson motorcycle.

"I forbid you to see that boy," Claire yelled. It didn't matter, Valerie was too far away and too headstrong to listen.

* * *

**Another milestone, two thousand views. Thanks to each and every one of you that has clicked on this story and enjoyed it. **

**I hope you enjoy this new chapter, please leave a review. Thank you for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 4**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

_Now who in their right mind would sell a used Harley-Davidson motorcycle for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars?_ Hartley Winter asked himself. _Must be a printing error._ Hartley took a sip of his coffee when his eye caught the ad below the one for the motorcycle. What he read wasn't an ad, but a short article about the Collingsworth woman finding her iPad.

"Well now how about that," he mumbled.

"How about what?" a lovely oriental lady with long black hair and a sweet, almost shy voice asked. She was the manager of the seafood restaurant where Hartley was having lunch. Her name badge read "Misty."

He showed her the article. "Can you believe this was printed in the classifieds?" he asked. Misty scanned through the quick article.

"Well at least someone got back their iPad," she said. "Now if they would just hang that awful Kensington woman for stealing the other one I would be happy as a clam."

"This is it," Hartley told her. "This was the iPad that was supposedly stolen by Claire Kensington. It wasn't stolen at all, but misplaced."

"Really?" she asked, leaning in to read the story again. "Well I'll be a shucked oyster that _is_ the same one."

Hartley had a thought. With permission he quietly went around the restaurant and showed everyone the article. Most didn't make the connection. Only one or two remembered that Claire was involved and was now vindicated. Not one of them had seen the article because it was in the wrong section. He understood immediately that this mix up would mean that Claire would still be viewed as a thief in the city. Hartley dialed his cell phone.

She never answered. Instead he just left a simple message. "Hello, Claire? This is Hartley Winter, would you please call me back. It's rather important. Thank you." He left his number with the message and hung up.

Hartley folded up the paper and began his meal which the lovely young oriental woman, Misty, brought out to him. While eating, Hartley gave some thought to his impromptu survey. Simply telling Claire wouldn't be enough. Her name had to be cleared. Hartley decided he would be her knight in shining armor…, again. He called up Penny and asked her to look up the original article from the Saturday edition from the newspaper's internet archives. Then he asked to find the tiny article from today's paper. Finally, he asked her to find an appropriate photo of Mrs. Kensington. One that made her look motherly and caring.

"Okay, now here is what we are going to do," he instructed.

**~O~**

Valerie arrived at the house of Kyle Lindwurm, a young man of twenty five. He was tall at six foot four, with bright blonde hair and shocking blue eyes. He was also very wealthy and the one who bought her the motorcycle as a gift for her last birthday. Kyle was a day trader and had amassed a small fortune from his work. It was difficult and stressful, but Kyle was not one to back down from a challenge. He horded his money and spent very little of it. His home was not expensive and the interior was sparsely decorated. Valerie had come across this young man in high school when it was discovered that they shared a similar interests: flying and speed.

When it came to earning his money, Kyle didn't tolerate interruptions. Valerie was one of the rare exceptions to that rule. She was infatuated by him and him by her. When the door opened to his modest home Kyle was surprised to see Valerie. He grabbed her in his arms and picked her up. She wrapped her legs and arms around him and they kissed deeply.

"You came, I thought you gave up on us," he said putting her down.

"My mother forbid me from seeing you," Valerie answered. "But I'm sick of her rules. I want to get out of that house."

"Where would you go?"

"I've been planning something," she told him. Valerie had been eyeing many places where she could escape from what she considered her overly demanding and hateful mother. In her room, hidden away from Claire's prying eyes, was a shoe box filled with maps, brochures and printouts of several cities detailing cost of living, rent, job opportunities and more. She had narrowed it down to places such as Cleveland, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; Portland, Oregon and a few places in Canada like Toronto and Vancouver.

"Why so far away?" he asked her.

"So my evil witch of a mother can never find me," she answered. "Kyle, I want you to come with me."

Kyle took a step back from her. This was a truly shocking development. Moving meant giving up his day trading activities while on the road. It was also an expensive endeavor. "I don't know, Val. I can't give up my work so easily."

Valerie was dismayed. "Which do you love more? Me, or your money?"

Kyle didn't give her an answer right away. If he had to think about it, Valerie knew deep in his heart what the answer was. "Fine, keep your blasted money."

"Wait, Val, move in with me. Live here."

"No thank you," she said. "You made your choice, Kyle. I move in here with you and I'll be in the exact same situation I am with my mother. She loves my sister more than me, and you love your money more than you love me. What's the difference?" Crushed, Valerie drove off on her bike, forced to go back to her mother's home. Kyle was her last, best hope for escape. Now more than ever she felt completely alone. Along the way, however, she made a detour.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Period on the Mainland)

Sled had to suck it up. He stood there in the heat of the Summer Gardens wearing a dress, Tinker Bell's snow machine working overtime to keep him comfortable, while the garden fairies under Rosetta's guidance adorned him with strings of the colorful blooms. He looked, and felt, fairy whipped.

But this was not about giving into Rosetta's demands, but about opening the lines of communications. By giving her what she wanted Sled hoped to engage her in conversation to find out why she was acting so strangely.

"Okay, girls, now try this arrangement across her, I mean, his chest," Rosetta said. "And what a chest it is," she added, whispering it to Chloe who snickered.

Chloe, a young garden talent who arrived a few months before the border law between the warm seasons and the Winter Woods was withdrawn, had been Rosetta's partner in the Pixie Hollow Games that same year. She helped Ro to overcome her fear of mud and getting dirty and together they were the first Garden Fairy team to win the games in Pixie Hollow history. They two had become minor celebrities during the interim between games. Today, with their victory long behind them, they still remained good friends.

When the flowers were laid across Sled's chest Chloe giggled. "He looks very queenly," she said to Rosetta, who chortled along with the other garden fairies.

Sled just took a in a deep breath and sighed. Then decided to show he could laugh at himself and joined in. With the best, feminine voice his deep tones could muster, Sled began to imitate Queen Clarion. "Girls, girls," he said, lightly clapping his hands to get their attention. "I love what you've done today, but I think you should include some blue to represent the Winter Woods…, and Lord Milori." Sled added some wistfulness to his imitation when he said Milori's name.

The garden fairies stared at each other for a moment, then collapsed in peals of laughter. "That was perfect!" Chloe said with a gleeful tone. Her voice was a bit smoky, but it tended to pop and squeak when she spoke. Particularly when nervous, excited or happy.

"Girls, make sure that the flowers and my crown don't clash," Sled continued in his imitation.

The fairies laughed even harder.

He then held one of the strings of blooms and added, "This won't make my butt look big, will it?"

They laughed even harder, then suddenly stopped.

"What? Did I go too far?" he asked in his regular voice. That's when he saw the shadow on the ground. Two grand butterfly wings filtering the sunlight. "The queen's behind me, isn't she?"

"Yes, I am," came her soft voice. "But not too close, I wouldn't want to bump into my ample behind."

"O-oh flit."

"Now, now, let's have none of that language," Clarion said. "You do know that there is a penalty for impersonating the queen."

Sled looked nervous, his body began to quake. Petals began to shake off the blossoms he was wearing. "What…, what would that be, my generous queen?"

She smiled. "The performing talents are doing a revue of the history of Pixie Hollow this season. I would like you to portray me in the show. And I had better be impressed by your performance."

Sled gulped hard. "Eep!"

A wry smile came across the queen's face. "Oh, Sled, I'm just teasing," she said with a laugh. "Now why don't you let me try on those flowers?"

A gigantic sigh of relief emanated from his lips. Sled and the garden fairies then carefully removed the blooms he was wearing and gently put them on Queen Clarion. "Oh, it's beautiful. Garden Fairies, you've outdone yourself this year. But I think Sled is correct, a little blue for the Winter Woods and Milori would be a nice addition."

"Huh, well what do you know," Rosetta said. "All it needed was a man's touch. Ironic, isn't it?"

Chloe and the other garden fairies giggled.

"Ro, can we speak privately?" Sled asked her. She agreed and the two walked into a corner of the gardens away from the others.

Queen Clarion leaned over to one of the other garden fairies and asked her, "This doesn't make my butt look big, does it?"

"No, my queen, it is very slimming," she answered.

"Oh good."

**~O~**

"Sled, I'm so happy you came," Ro told him.

"Rosetta, do you love me?" he asked her.

"Well, of course," she answered.

"Then why did you need me to prove it to you?"

"What? I wasn't asking you prove anything."

Sled spoke to her in a gentle voice. "Rosetta, I set up the owl ride and dinner so we could spend some romantic time together. You, me and a spectacular light show. Ro, you've always said you wanted to see the Northern Lights, so I was giving you what you wanted. I wasn't trying to control you."

"Oh, Sled, that's so sweet of you, but I have other things I have to do, you understand?"

This was a profound about face for Rosetta, who just earlier today was infuriated after the same conversation. Sled began to wonder if the woman he loved so much was unstable in some way. Her friends all told him she was as level headed as they come. The only thing he was told that ever gave him cause for concern was her long list of former boyfriends. Now he wondered if he was about to become the next in long line of exes.

"I understand, Rosetta," he said looking rather dejected.

"But you're right, I shouldn't have to test your love and I need to make more time for both of us," she added. "Let's try again. Please?"

Sled's mouth turned up in a smile. He took the ring out of his pocket and slipped back on her finger. "Now how about that owl ride?"

"I'd love it," she said enthusiastically.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Valerie walked into a tattoo parlor. Two people, a man and woman, both in their early thirties walked out of the backroom. He was tall with black hair with a self assured look to his face and posture. She was shorter, with blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail, but with a gentler look to her countenance. Both were covered in tattoos from their necks down.

"How can we help you?" the girl asked pleasantly.

"I want a tattoo," Valerie said.

"Slash does good tattoos," the guy said striking a pose.

"Really?"

"Yeah, and I'm Lace," the girl added.

Valerie quirked an eyebrow. "Slash and Lace? What, you couldn't land a guest shot on _American Gladiators_?"

Lace cracked up. Slash, not so much. "Slash is not amused. Slash doesn't offer his art when not amused."

"Slash sound like Tarzan, only dumber," Valerie snapped.

"She got you there, Slash," Lace told him. "Don't mind doofus of the jungle, here. I'll be your tattoo artist today. What can I do for you?"

Valerie pointed to an airbrushed piece of a giant demon with stretched out leather wings and arms raised in triumph as reds and oranges lit up the background like the fires of Hell. "What's that one, it looks familiar."

"Oh that's Chernabog."

"Who?"

"Y'know, from the 'A Night On Bald Mountain' sequence at the end of _Fantasia_?"

Valerie nodded her head. "Ri-ight. I want that one."

"Where would you like it? Arm? Leg?"

"Back, from top to bottom. Covering the whole thing," Valerie said.

"Okay, well that will take plenty of visits for all the layered work. Let's set up an appointment for your first visit." Lace told her. "Ever had a tattoo before?"

Valerie shook her head no.

"Well, it's very painful, so you will have to be prepared for it."

"I don't care, I'm used to being hurt."

* * *

**Yeah, another new chapter. Hmm, so what do you think Hartley's plan is? And will Valerie get her tattoo or will Claire stop her before it's too late?  
**

**I hope you like this one. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**

**Misty = Silvermist**

**Slash = Rumble**

**Lace = Glimmer**

**Kyle Lindwurm = ? (It's a surprise, but there is a hint in his name)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 5**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

In the distance, a great castle lit up with fireworks. The king had announced a grand ball where the prince would choose a wife. Cinderella wanted to go. Instead, she was stuck sweeping the courtyard, forced to watch as her wicked stepmother and two ugly stepsisters rode off in a carriage to the ball. They had always been so mean to her. When Cinderella's mother passed away, her father remarried. He strongly believed that his young girl needed a proper mother figure to help her grow into a good young woman. His second wife brought with her two young daughters of her own to the family. However, upon his untimely death, the dark vanity of the stepmother and her two girls became known and poor Cinderella went from a life of privilege to a life of poverty. She was forced to work as the maid and perform menial chores every day from early morning until late at night.

Cinderella was not allowed to go to the ball. Instead, her stepmother was determined to have one of her own flesh and blood girls marry the prince. All hope seemed lost as the carriage drove away. Moments later her salvation arrived. Her fairy godmother appeared and offered to help. She was a dark skinned beauty dressed in a shimmering yellow gown and opulent fairy jewels. She carried with her a long and slender wand of fairy magic. She was going to send Cinderella to the ball where she would enchant and marry the handsome Prince Thomas.

However, before the Fairy Godmother could wave her magic wand and make all of Cinderella's dreams come true, the fairy was consumed in a ball of fire and was dead in a second. Her magic wand fell to the ground. A gruesome looking, gnarled hand reached down and picked up the magic wand. The hand belonged to The Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin.

"You killed my Fairy Godmother," Cinderella said, frightened. "She was going to send me to the ball."

"Now, now…, I got what I wanted," he said in return. "Do you know what this is?" he asked her holding up the wand, a gleeful smile on his face.

"Pure Magic."

"Pure evil! All magic comes with a price," he warned her. But Cinderella desperately wanted out of her horrid life. He instructed her to change it herself, but she could not without magic and bade The Dark One to grant her that wish. He conceded if she were willing to sign a contract. In exchange she would owe him a favor. He wanted something she would come to possess in the future.

"I care not for riches," she insisted. To get what she wanted, all Ella need to do was sign the contract, which she did in earnest. Waving about the wand, Rumpelstiltskin granted her wish, providing a beautiful ball gown, a magnificent carriage and of course the memorable element of her story, glass slippers. Soon she was away to the ball and her destiny.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It was morning and Henry was walking down the main street to the school bus. He was accompanied by his birth mother, Emma Swan. She was not afraid of Henry's adopted mother, Mayor Regina Mills, and gladly walked with him in broad daylight. He was impressed. Everyone in town was afraid of Regina except for Emma. Henry decided that they should each have code names, but Emma wasn't sure what to call herself, so she settled on "Emma" until a better code name could be devised.

After seeing Henry off in the school in his bus, Emma began walking to Granny's diner, but was stopped by the sheriff's cruiser. His siren was blaring to get her attention.

"Are you going to arrest me again?" she asked.

Actually, he was impressed by her detective work finding the missing coma patient and was offering her a job as deputy. Emma declined saying she already had a job. Graham noted that there was very little call for a bail bonds woman in Storybrooke. She countered that there wasn't much need for another law officer, either.

"You can get a close up look," he answered. "There's dental."

Emma agreed to think about it. She was reluctant to take the offer because Regina seemed to have her hands in everything, including the Sheriff's office and didn't want to be under that woman's thumb. However, Regina would never authorize Graham to hire her, so his offer must be going against her wishes, stated or implied.

**~O~**

Emma went to Granny's where she ordered a hot chocolate drink with cinnamon. A young man with blonde hair entered the diner. Emma noted he was wearing the garb of a mail carrier. He dropped off some envelopes, picked up a few letters from Granny and then left. Widow Lucas opened up one of the letters and muttered "bill." She did the same with second. Then she came across the third and threw it aside. "Blasted thief."

Ruby picked up the letter and began to read it. A moment later she pulled her grandmother aside and asked her to read it through. "Well, I'll be. She didn't do it after all. Ruby, hold down the diner, I've got to make a call. And show this letter to everyone." Granny went into the back hallway and grabbed the phone. She dialed, a moment later she started talking.

"What was that all about," Emma asked Ruby.

"Oh, here." Ruby put down a letter in front of her. The envelope was from Winter's Heating. The letter enclosed explained that Claire Kensington was not responsible for Desiree Collingsworth's missing iPad. It was simply misplaced. The news article that should have cleared up the mistake was printed in the classified section of the Monday edition. Included was a copy of the original news story, a magnified copy of the second article and a sympathetic photo of Claire Kensington. The letter closed with this appeal.

_Mrs. Kensington was inadvertently accused of stealing, but she was not the culprit. Please support this widowed mother of two and her small business with your patronage. _

_With humble thanks, Hartley Winter._

"I'm not surprised it was under the car seat," Emma mumbled. "First place I would have looked." She handed the letter back to Ruby and thanked her. Granny walked back to the counter and Emma overheard her say that she couldn't reach whomever she was calling. Ruby told her to try again. A moment after, Ruby returned with Emma's hot chocolate drink, setting it down on the table with a friendly smile.

She took a sip of her drink and began to read the morning paper. Mayor Mills then came in and sat down next to her.

"Did you enjoy your walk with Henry this morning?" she asked Ms. Swan. Emma looked shocked. Regina made it known that nothing in this town happened without her knowing about it. She had eyes and ears everywhere. But there was another reason for stopping by.

"I came to tell you I'm not afraid of you spending time with Henry," Regina told Emma. Mayor Mills had done some research and found out that Emma had lived at seven different addresses in the last decade before coming to Storybrooke. And she never stayed in one place for more than two years and that was in Tallahassee, Florida. She was living a transient lifestyle. Regina no longer felt threatened because she was certain that sooner or later Emma was going to leave Storybrooke, and Henry, for good. Probably sooner.

Emma retorted that she had found a place with Mary Margaret. But she paid no rent, Regina reminded her. For something to grow it needs roots and she had none. Whereas the other residents had a home or a business or a full time job, she had nothing to keep her here. Mayor Mills then advised Emma to consider ending her relationship with Henry once and for, possibly with a clean break. After all, her history showed an unwillingness to stay in any one place for long and it would only hurt Henry once she left town.

Mayor Mills then bid her good day and left the diner. Emma was so furious with Regina that when she stood up, she accidentally spilled her chocolate all over her shirt.

"Really?" she said, exasperated.

"Eesh!" Ruby said as she walked up with a towel.

"Do you have a laundry room I could use?" Emma asked her.

Ruby pointed her to the laundry room used by Granny's Inn to wash all of the linens. Emma headed towards the hallway that lead to the inn when Widow Lucas ran past Emma saying, "There she is, I'll be right back, Ruby." She stopped to watch Granny run across the street, talk to and then embrace a middle aged woman. That same women that was in the letter she had just read. Emma then proceeded to the laundry room.

**~O~**

"Claire, Claire wait," Granny shouted. Widow Lucas hastened across the street, dodging cars and waving an envelope in the air.

Claire had come to another shop on the main street. She was nicely dressed and held a sheet of paper in her hand. It was a résumé. Widow Lucas knew right away that Claire was job hunting.

"Look at this." The restaurant owner handed over the envelope that was addressed to her diner. "Read it," she said, not really breathing hard.

Mrs. Kensington took the envelope and opened it. She read the letter inside and the two news stories. "That was where the article was hidden? In the classifieds? Hardly anyone reads those." Claire took special note that it was Hartley Winter who had sent out this notice.

"I know, I'm so sorry for not believing you on Monday," Widow Lucas said with genuine reconciliation on her face and in her heart. "And I apologize for calling you a thief. I should have believed you then and I didn't. How could I think that a nice lady like you would do such a thing? We widows have to stick together through thick and thin. Can you ever forgive me?"

Claire smiled and wept. Her friendship with Granny was back on solid ground. "Of course, but there is nothing to forgive."

They embraced like two friends reunited after a long separation. "Now come with me, I want to make it up to you. I won't take no for an answer. Breakfast is on me today."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I ate at home this morning," Claire told her. "I'm not hungry."

"No matter, bring Valerie and Tina with you for lunch. On the house," Granny instructed. "I expect to see you there and you can count on seeing this letter in my window where everyone can read it."

Just at that moment, the shop right in front of them posted that very same letter in its window. The shopkeeper noticed Claire standing on the sidewalk and greeted her with a smile and an enthused wave. Claire waved back, laughing with Granny at the coincidence. "It looks like everyone got one of these."

Granny and Claire embraced once again and the restaurant owner added, "Oh you've got yourself a real guardian angel in that Hartley Winter."

The mother of two sniffled with happiness and said, "Yes, I do." When the two women separated Claire confirmed that she would be at the diner for lunch. "See you then." Granny then stepped in a little closer and whispered, "You know, I think Hartley's taken a shine to you. He's a fine man if you ask me."

Claire just laughed. Granny bid her goodbyes and then walked back across the street, dodging cars like a much younger woman and then disappeared back into the diner.

_Yeah, he is a fine man for doing something so noble_, she thought. "Oh, I forgot to call him back the other day," she remembered. Claire tossed her resume into her minivan and climbed in. She was going to call up Hartley just to thank him. While dialing his work number, several passersby would smile and wave to her or give her a thumbs up signal. Leroy even walked up to her window and after hemming and hawing a bit said, "I'm sorry. You're no thief. I'm an idiot."

"No you're not, Leroy," she answered him, smiling. "Thank you so very much."

"Here," the janitor handed her ten dollars. "So you can eat at Granny's."

"Oh no, Leroy, you don't have to do this." She tried to hand it back to him, but he insisted in his own gruff way.

"I was a real ass to you the other day." He then wrapped her fingers around the ten dollar bill. "You need it more than I do," he said and walked off.

"Thank you," Claire shouted to him. _Underneath that hard scrabble exterior lay a good heart_, she thought to herself. Claire then finished dialing Hartley's number.

**~O~**

Emma Swan made her way to the laundry room of the inn. She pulled off her shirt and angrily threw it and her jacket into the empty washing machine. She added a bit of soap, slammed the lid closed and started the wash cycle. Then she grabbed a clean blouse that was hanging from the lines and put it on. Emma was so furious at the mayor's latest attempt to sabotage her relationship with Henry that she almost didn't hear the sounds of sniffling and whimpering inside the room.

"No, no-no-no," a young and pretty blonde woman cried. "The sheets, their pink." Indeed, the bed sheet she pulled from the dryer was very pink. It was supposed to be white.

"Try bleach," Emma told her off handedly. Then she noticed that the woman was very pregnant. "Oh."

"I felt a contraction last night," she told Emma. "The doctor said the baby will come any day now."

The girl, Ashley, was a nineteen year old mother to be with no husband and no prospects for work better than as a maid at Granny's Inn. Everyone kept telling her that there was no way she could possibly take care of the baby on her own. She wasn't old enough, not mature enough, not well enough employed, and everyone seemed to be pointing out that she was all alone. At least that was how Ashley told the story. At first, Emma didn't want to hear it, but as the maid spoke she felt for the poor girl.

"No one thinks I can do anything," Ashley sniffled. "Maybe they're right."

"Screw 'em," Emma advised.

"What?"

"Screw! Them!" she replied with emphasis.

Emma pointed out that she had a child when she was only eighteen and had to endure the exact same talk from those around her. Everyone loved to tell her what to do, particularly with a child on the way. Ms. Swan advised Ashley that no matter what her decision, the choice was ultimately her own. When others try to tell her what she is or isn't, she needed to push back and tell them they were wrong. If Ashley wanted others to view her differently, she needed to make them by way of her decisions and actions.

Ashley was responsible for her own life because in this world there were no fairy godmothers who can wave their magic wands and make things all better. That was all fairy tale nonsense and this was the real world. Only Ashley could change her life, if she wanted it bad enough.

Ashley the maid thought long and hard on what Emma told her and decided to take action and make a meaningful change in her life.

**~O~**

During the lunch hour, Claire brought her two daughters for the noon meal. Valerie and Tina stopped at the door and read the letter that Granny had posted in the window. Tina was elated by the news. Valeria lowered her head, looking almost contrite. She began to wonder if her decision to leave was premature. She thought that her mother's world was about to collapse in on itself and Valerie wanted out. This letter changed everything.

Inside, the atmosphere was almost festive for the Kensington family. They were greeted with smiles and nods from every diner in the room. Granny personally took the order from them. Claire didn't want to be greedy with Granny's generosity, but the older woman wouldn't hear of it. Widow Lucas insisted that they all order bigger meals. Claire settled on grilled chicken breast plate with mixed vegetables and a water. She had to watch her blood pressure. Tina ordered a bacon cheeseburger with chips and a Coke while Valerie ordered the same thing but with a Mr. Pibb. And an extra pickle. She glared at her sister when adding that last detail. Granny put in the order and then added a slice of pie for each one.

"Thank you, Granny," Claire told her. "But this is too much."

"Oh no," Widow Lucas replied. "It's not enough. But I hope it will do."

"It's plenty," Claire answered.

**~O~**

Later that evening, Mr. Gold closed up shop. He hobbled away, using his cane to help him with his lame right leg. Moments later, Ashley snuck up to the front door and smashed the glass so she could open the door from the inside. The interior of the shop was filled with strange and unusual objects. A windmill lawn ornament. A mobile composed of miniature glass blown animals. The craftsmanship was outstanding, almost like works of art.

There were two marionette dolls. A male and female that looked as if shock or terror was permanently carved into their faces. The hand of one doll was gripping the hand of the other. Like two lovers permanently trapped in wood.

Ashley kept looking for something when she heard her name called. It was Mr. Gold. He must have heard the crashing of the glass and came back to the store. "What are you doing?"

"Changing my life," she said right as she spritzed pepper spray into his eyes. Mr. Gold cried out in pain. He fell backwards, losing balance and knocking his head against the sharp edge of a chess set. Gold lay on the ground, unconscious. Ashley went through his pockets and found a key. She used it to open a safe in his wall and removed a piece of paper before leaving the shop. From there she went looking for a friend.

**~O~**

At about the same time, Mayor Regina Mills sat down to her desk at home and started sorting her personal mail. She came across the letter from Winter's Heating. She opened it and began reading it. Regina expected a coupon or a friendly reminder for service. Instead, she found the letter freeing Claire of any responsibility. Regina's slight smile turned into a frown. Then she wrinkled her face into a sneer and anger pulsed through her veins. She crushed the letter, pounding it into a tiny ball before hurling it into the wastebasket with disgust.

"You win this round, Claire," she grumbled. "And it looks like you have an advocate I didn't know about."

Then Regina's frown turned back into a wicked smile. Regina was okay with this news. Now she was aware of Hartley as Claire's protector. Next time Regina would be prepared. Hartley had to be removed from the field of battle first before tearing down Mrs. Kensington. It all came down to strategy and tactics. Know your enemy better than they know themselves.

"Next time, you won't have a friend in town who will come to your aid, my little fairy queen. And that is when I will get my revenge."

* * *

**Whew, I managed another chapter. I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.**

**Scorecard**

**Ashley Boyd = Cinderella (aka Ella).**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 6**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The evacuation)

"Come on, Cheese, move along, move along," Rosetta bade the little mouse. The sassy garden fairy was delivering the first load of grasses, reeds and other items for Tinker Bell to fashion her ice gondolas. Cheese led a group of cart pulling mice who were bringing the much needed materials to the Winter Woods. When she reached the border, Rosetta handed over several pages to her opposite number, a winter garden fairy who was responsible for the plants and trees that grew in the perpetually snow covered region.

When the announcement was made that Pixie Hollow was coming to an end in two days, it struck everyone with such a force. Many were stunned into paralysis, others became numb and showed no emotion at all, while some wept uncontrollably until consoled enough to work towards their escape. Rosetta, instead, became worried about what would happen to her love, Sled. The winter fairies were having to evacuate to the north, towards a distant island where the average annual temperatures would be cool enough to keep them safe from losing their wings. England was far too temperate and the summers would be dangerous times for the winter fairies.

Now it seemed that she would lose the one sparrow man she truly adored. Rosetta had many other suitors in her life, but none of those relationships lasted. With Sled it was different. Or at least it seemed that way until recently. His attention and adoration of her seemed to be waning and Rosetta could not understand why. Now with this looming disaster Ro felt a sense of loss that she had never known before.

Rather than go back to the gardens and gather more materials she instead asked the frost fairies at the border to frost her wings to protect them from the cold. From there Rosetta fled deep into the Winter Woods and sought out her love. Along the way she saw the warm and cold season tinkers working spiritedly on their ice gondolas. She also witnessed the giant bison being herded towards the warm seasons. She inquired and learned that Captain Hook was willing to take the animals north to one of the small islands where they could graze under the watchful eye of human caretakers.

Captain Hook and his pirates did not immediately believe Peter Pan when he told them of Never Land's impending demise, but the seriousness in Peter's voice convinced him otherwise. Pan was a young boy prone to cheery playfulness. The somber maturity he displayed when speaking with Hook was so unlike him that the pirates could not deny the gravity of the situation.

Finally, the redheaded garden fairy found her dearest love. He oversaw the gathering of the animals for the impending escape. They were to be loaded onto the ice gondolas and shipped far north with the Winter Fairies. She approached, calling out to him.

"Sled! Oh, Sled. What's going to happen to us?" she asked him, terrified of what the answer might be.

"Go away, Rosetta!" he barked. The garden fairy was surprised by his rebuke of her.

"What?! Sled, can't you see what's going on around us?" she asked rhetorically. "Pixie Hollow is going to be destroyed, how can ask me to leave?"

"You've done a good job of leaving before," he said angrily. "You've had plenty of practice."

"But why? I love you. You love me."

"No, Rosetta, that's the problem. You don't love me," he said. Sled stopped herding the snowshoe rabbits. Then he turned to her and spoke with a firmness of conviction she had not heard in his voice in sometime. "Now you listen to me. These last few years have been a waste for me. You've become more and more selfish and self-aggrandizing. Lately when I've suggested something for us to do, you refuse to do it. But if you have an idea no matter how crazy it is, I'm not allowed to turn it down or suggest something else. Everything has to be all about what _you_ want."

"Oh Sled, if that's all that's bothering you-." He cut her off.

"There's more," he said. Sled shoved his face into hers. Rosetta had no choice but to recoil as he spoke with increasing resentment. "Twice you've agreed to marry me and twice you teased me. You played your games and ran your little tests of my devotion. You treated me like I meant little to you except as a toy to order around and make you happy. You actually had me believing that you wanted to be my wife, then you found worthless reasons to back out."

"Then let's get married now," Rosetta pleaded. "We can ask the Keeper to perform the ceremony."

"It won't change my mind, Ro. You'll be on the Mainland, I'll be far away on a snow capped island. We'll be married in name only. This is why I mean when I say you're selfish. You only want to do this so you can say you're married without any real commitment. You get what you want, and I'm stuck alone out there. It's just another game you play. Well I'm through. No more, Rosetta. I'm sick of your little games and I'm sick of you. Now get out of my sight. I never want to see you again."

"You can't mean that?"

"Yes, I can!" he roared. "Now go. You're a tease, a charlatan, Jezebel. You're nothing but a… a… fraud in a pretty red dress."

Rosetta was struck deeply by those painful words. She began to tear up. Rosetta could not believe what Sled had told her. She ran, flying through the Winter Woods, crying her eyes out. She raced into the warm seasons before finally crashing through her cherished gardens. "I'm not a tease, I'm not a Jezebel. I'm not a fraud. Why did he say those things to me?" she sobbed.

Finally, Rosetta took refuge inside the bloom of an open daisy. She curled up inside and pulled its petals closed around her. There she remained, whimpering, sniffling, crying and trying to make sense of what just happened.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mayor Mills was finishing her makeup as she apologized to Henry for having to go to a scheduled city council meeting on Saturday. She disliked it as much as he did, but as mayor she had to attend. Henry was to do his homework, not to watch the TV. And he was to stay home.

He took that to mean stay away from his birth mother.

Whatever it may have meant to him that was what Regina ultimately wanted. "I'll be back at five sharp," she said walking out the door.

**~O~**

Emma sat on the floor of Mary Margaret's apartment. She was going through a few boxes that had arrived for her today. These were her possessions, shipped in from her now former apartment in Boston.

"That's all?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I'm not sentimental," Emma replied.

"Makes it easier to move," Mary Margaret added.

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Mr. Gold stood in the hallway, he asked to speak with Emma, alone. Mary Margaret excused herself and went into her bedroom to shower. Mr. Gold had a proposition for Emma. Ashley Boyd had broken into his store last night and stolen something from him. She had been rambling about changing her life.

Emma said he should just go to the police. Gold told her she was just a mixed up girl and didn't want to send her to jail. He wanted discretion. Ashley was pregnant and he didn't want to see her baby born behind bars. This statement cut Emma deeply. Henry was born to her in jail. She could sympathize with why Gold came to her and not Sheriff Graham.

Gold's proposition was simple. Ms. Swan was to track down Ashley and return his merchandise to him. Emma agreed, but not for Mr. Gold, for Ashley and the baby. Gold didn't care for her reasons only that it be done.

As the pawn shop owner went out the door he was greeted by Henry. He had snuck out of his house and come to Mary Margaret's place. When Mr. Gold left and the door was closed, Henry asked if Emma knew who that was.

Of course, she knew.

He was relieved because he was still trying to figure out which fairy tale character Mr. Gold was.

"Oh, I meant in reality," Emma answered. Henry had come to spend the day with Emma. His mother was gone to until five and he had most of the day to himself. Emma, however, didn't want him tagging along because she was working a job. She didn't want him in harm's way if things got sticky. Henry, however, insisted. "I just want to spend time with you," he petitioned.

"Oh that is not fair," she complained. Henry went along with her anyway.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Fireworks lit up the night sky over the castle. Cinderella was giddy. Every time those fireworks shot into the air it meant something grand was happening at the castle. Now those fireworks were for her, she told her new husband Prince Thomas.

During the dance at the reception Cinderella was greeted into the family by Thomas' father, the king. He hoped she would one day add to their happy family. The dance placed the women in a large circle. Men would move from stationary woman to stationary woman. The two would dance a bit then move on. It allowed for socializing and celebration. Snow White, however, broke rank and with a giggle congratulated Ella for showing that anyone could change their lives. "I'm so proud of you," Show told her dear friend.

When Ella moved on to the next man in line, it wasn't who she was expecting. It was Rumpelstiltskin, dressed impeccably for the reception. He was here to make sure that Ella was happy with her end of the bargain. It looked as if she had gotten everything she ever wanted. Ella was very worried by his presence. She knew how dangerous he could be. "What do you want?" she asked him.

Rumpelstiltskin was here to remind her of her part of the bargain. But he didn't want money. He wanted something else. "Something you do not yet possess, but that I know is coming." Rumpelstiltskin put his hand on her stomach. "…your first born!"

With those words he disappeared into the crowd, leaving Cinderella frightened for herself, her family and the love she had forged with Thomas. Would he reject her after finding out? She choose not to tell him.

**~O~**

Months later Ella was in her royal bedchamber, packing her bags. It was thundering outside as she threw clothes into a travel chest. Thomas unexpectedly entered the room. She thought he was hunting, but the bad weather changed his plans. He saw the packing she was doing and inquired if they were going somewhere. Backed into a corner, Cinderella had to confess what happened at the ball. It wasn't her fairy godmother who granted her wish, but Rumpelstiltskin. She had traded something for this grand new life she had.

"What does he want?" Thomas asked her.

"He tricked me," Ella replied. She thought he would want gold or jewels, but that wasn't it. Ella announced that she was pregnant and that Rumpelstiltskin wanted their baby. Thomas was shocked and horrified. Cinderella thought he would hate her. But instead, he said something very different. "He may have brought us together, but the love we share is entirely our own."

She was heartened by his words, but Ella was still at a loss of what to do about Rumpelstiltskin. Thomas had a plan, a simple one. Offer him a new deal.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire's cell phone didn't stop ringing all morning. Many of her former customers were calling to apologize and to reschedule appointments. She did receive one or two calls filled with hateful messages. They didn't believe the mailing and thought that it was some sleazy ploy to avoid prosecution. Claire dared them to check the newspaper's internet archive to find the misplaced story. That's when they would hang up on her.

There was always a couple of those people in every crowd, she mused.

Claire felt so much better now. However, she did not recover all of her lost jobs. Several like lawn work or minor repairs had already been scheduled with someone else or had already been completed. She estimated that only about more than half of her previous appointments had been restored. A few extra small jobs came her way, but it was still going to leave her with a budget shortfall in a couple of weeks.

Her visit to the hospital and then appointments with Dr. Hopper were costing her. Insurance paid most of it, but she was still responsible for the out of pocket expenses. Claire sighed, after figuring out all the outlays she had to make including employees, gasoline, equipment rentals, food, housing bills, insurance premiums, cable TV and internet, mobile phone plans and what she had to put aside for income and property taxes she was going to come up short on one very big payment. Mr. Gold.

She still had time, maybe some new work would come along to help. In the meantime she decided it was best if she and her girls ate at home more often and took lunch rather than stopping by at Granny's regularly. Poor Widow Lucas, the last thing Claire wanted was to alienate the woman after she had shown so much generosity.

_Well, maybe a few lunches at the diner wouldn't hurt... too much._

**~O~**

On the drive to the diner, Emma asked Henry if he had seen the flyers that seemed to be in nearly every store window.

"Yeah, my mom had a fit over one last night," he told her.

"So who is this Claire Kensington?" she asked him.

Henry told her all he could remember. This was the same information she already possessed. He told her that he had been searching through his book of fairy tales, but couldn't come up with a match.

"Her daughter reminds me of someone," he admitted.

"Okay, who?"

"Promise not to make fun of me?"

"Henry, I would never do that."

He told Emma that Tina reminded him of Tinker Bell.

"What? You mean like in Peter Pan, Never Land and Captain Hook?"

"You said you wouldn't make fun of me!"

"You're right, I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "Why does Tina remind you of Tinker Bell?"

"Well, first Tina looks a bit like Tinker Bell from the book illustrations. Second, she has a fascination with tools and fixing things."

"Wait, by that definition Marco could be Tinker Bell," Emma said.

"But Marco isn't a teenaged girl with blonde hair," Henry reminded her. The one thing that did bother Henry was that nowhere in the stories of Peter Pan did it mention her having a mother. The first story that included Tinker Bell announced that fairies were born from a baby's laugh. Not the way people were born.

"Yeah, and what does a ten year old know about how people are born?" Emma asked.

"I know everything," he said. "The stork brings them."

"Oh the stork, yeah that's good. I'll go along with that one all day long."

"But with so many people in the world today, I can't imagine that there are enough storks to make all the deliveries," Henry concluded. "I'm thinking FedEx is involved."

Emma just laughed at this child's imagination. Now he was sounding like a regular ten year old.

She pulled her car into the parking lot of Granny's Diner and went inside to speak with Ruby. Since Ashely worked at the inn, Ruby might know where to find the girl. She found out very little, but what she did learn was that Ashley had family. However, she was not on speaking terms with her stepmother and two stepsisters.

Henry caught the stepmother and stepsisters part and suggested that Ashley might be Cinderella. Just pregnant. Something that wasn't part of the stories he read or the animated movie he had seen so many times.

Ashley was also trying to improve herself by taking night classes. Even though every person Ashley knew had absolutely no confidence in the girl. That's when a loud noise outside caught Ruby's attention.

"Billy," she yelled, "You almost broke my wolf thingie."

Billy was the tow truck driver and was delivering Ruby's old, red Pontiac Firebird from the shop. He accidentally let the winch go and the vehicle dropped about one foot to the street. Fortunately, the car and the delicate, glass blown wolf which hung from the mirror were both unharmed. Something he pointed out. Ruby was satisfied that her little totem wasn't broken.

Ruby also informed Emma that Ashley had an ex-boyfriend. Ms. Swan wanted to know if he was involved in her disappearance.

"That would mean he was involved at all," Ruby answered. Shawn had dumped Ashley the moment he found out she was pregnant. Emma got Shawn's address and went to see him. Maybe from him she could find out more.

* * *

**Another chapter to keep you entertained. I do hope you find it interesting. Thanks for reading and please leave a review.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 7**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

With no work scheduled today, Claire drove around the neighborhoods looking for jobs to pick up for today or Sunday. Anything that would bring in a little extra cash. She kept answering her cell phone receiving apologies, re-appointments and the occasional new work order even as she drove. Nothing she could schedule immediately, but at least it was progress. Both of her girls were with her, but Tina was actively helping by writing down each new job with the time, date, location and approximate cost.

Then Claire got a call that floored her. The work that was being done at the renovation house had been put on hold until the incident with the iPad was concluded. She had been trying to get the job restarted, but was unable to contact the home's owner. Now he was calling.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I got the notice last night and I had to apologize for not trusting you," he told her. "You've always been the trustworthy type, with great attention to detail. I should have supported you."

_Yes, you should have_, Claire thought. As much as she enjoyed the outpouring of support, she learned the awful truth of just how many people were willing to turn against her. She was getting irritated by this "we should have trusted you more" stuff hitting her all day long. At least Hartley Winter had the decency to wait rather than condemn her off hand.

"I also wanted you to know that I've already hired another contractor to finish the job." That hit her like a ton of bricks.

"But you said…,"

"I know that I said, but I couldn't wait indefinitely for this to be resolved. The house had to be finished on time, so I hired someone else."

"Well un-hire them," she demanded.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, Claire. Your contract was terminated the instant I hired the new contractor."

She slammed the brakes on her truck. Then she pulled over out of the traffic lanes. "Why didn't you call me!?" she yelled into the receiver. Looking over at her two girls, Claire composed herself and spoke again more calmly. "Why didn't you call me to let me know?"

"Uh…, I'm…, I'm sorry. But that's just the way it is."

"You didn't even have the guts to call me and let me know I was fired?" her face started turning red.

"She looks just like you when you get totally pissed," Valerie whispered to Tina. Tina gave her older sister a "you can't be serious" expression.

"I know you're angry, but I was expecting…."

"Expecting what?" she said, yelling again into the receiver. "That I would go to jail?! Go away and hide under a rock so you wouldn't have to get your hands dirty? You said you should have trusted me more. Well I trusted you, but I'm the one getting screwed here!"

"Claire, look, it is obvious you are upset. Why don't I call back when you're in a better mood?"

"You stabbed me in the back and then expect me to be in a better mood? Are you insane?!" Claire then jammed her finger into the cellphone's "off" button to hang up the call. "Ow!" She shook that same finger, the pain was sharp, but quick.

This completely messed up her calculations for the month. She had figured into her budget the money for completion of the project. Now the project had been taken away from her.

Claire dialed the phone. She called up the same homeowner. "You better not screw me out of the money you owe me," she yelled. "I worked my ass off to try and finish your home's renovation and you had better pay me for all the days I put in on that eyesore!"

She listened for a moment. "Damn right it had better be in the mail! And if it isn't you had better pray I don't sue your sorry ass into the poorhouse!" Claire smashed her finger into the phone again to end the call. Again she had to shake the sharp pain out of her hand. "Damn phones, why can't they make these stupid buttons softer?"

Tina and Valerie were both looking at their mother with startled if not frightened looks. They had rarely ever seen her this way. Forceful, strong willed and steadfast. Often she would lose her backbone and acquiesce to whatever demand was being made of her. This was a very different person than they were used to.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with our mother?" Valerie asked with a snide tenor to her voice.

Claire just sighed and all of her willfulness seemed to just drain out of her. "Oh I'm sorry, sweethearts. I'm just a little upset."

"Upset? I thought you were going to reach through that phone and rip that guy's throat out," Valerie added. "Sort of like in _The Jetsons_."

"I wish I could," Claire grumbled. "I would rip his freaking head off and crap down his throat so fast he wouldn't know what him." Then she remembered who was in the truck with her. "Forget I said that. And don't use that kind of language. I shouldn't be using it, either."

Tina then spoke up, offering to ask for small jobs from Marco at his shop, Standard Clocks. In the past, Tina had done occasional work for him as she learned the joys of using precision tools. Back then he paid her a small wage and gave her small projects to work out on her own. Marco was taken by her bright eyed enthusiasm.

_"Oh, I wish my wife and I had a child just like you," he had told her on more than one occasion. "It would make our lives that much sweeter. Yes? But it was not to be. I think if we had a daughter she might be just like you." Typical Marco. Wistful for what he didn't have, but always grateful what he did._

Claire just looked at her youngest, surprised by her maturity and marveling at the little one's growing sense of responsibility. "Oh, honey, you don't need to do that," she told her.

"I don't mind," Tina replied. "It's kind of fun to work at his shop."

After a moment of thought Claire agreed. "Okay, but make sure all of your homework is done every night."

"I promise," Tina assured her.

"And you get your chores done, too."

"I will."

Claire embraced her youngest and held her tight. She smiled warmly and whispered "thank you" to her sweet little girl who was growing up right before her very eyes.

Both women then turned to Valerie. She just harrumphed, crossed her arms and turned her backs to them. Valerie could feel their eyes boring into her soul. "Okay, fine." Valerie dug into her pockets and handed over some money. "Here, take it."

Claire looked into her hands and saw four fifty dollar bills. "How did you-?"

"I've been saving it up," Val answered before Claire could finish.

The mother of two reached across the cab of the truck and hugged Valerie tightly. "Hey, enough!" Val complained.

Tina, who was caught in the middle, started yelling. "Mom! You're crushing me!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Claire apologized.

At about that moment, an old, red Pontiac Firebird drove by. Tina was the first to notice. "Hey, isn't that Ruby's car?"

"Yeah, but that wasn't Ruby," Valerie said. "Who is that?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Claire dialed her cell phone, calling Granny's Diner and spoke with Ruby. The waitress answered that she had loaned her car to a friend. "Thanks for having my back, Mrs. Kensington," she said.

**~O~**

The house of Sean Herman was a spacious newer home in a wealthy district. Emma spoke directly to Sean, asking him about Ashley and the baby. Emma got the impression he didn't leave Ashley willingly and that he cared for her, but something was holding him back.

An expensive, green Jaguar pulled into the driveway while they spoke. The man who got out interrupted their conversation telling Sean to go into the house so he could talk with Ms. Swan alone. The man was Sean's father, and it didn't take a degree in logic to conclude that he was the reason for Sean giving up on Ashley.

Mr. Herman wanted nothing to do with Ashley or the baby. He saw her as she was, not as she could be. Sean's father couldn't believe that Ashley could ever raise the child on her own and Emma got the distinct impression that he didn't want that _maid_ in his family. Then Emma was blindsided with a bombshell. Mr. Herman had paid Ashley a healthy sum to give up the child so it could adopted by someone with better means to care for it. That is when Emma realized that Mr. Gold's "merchandise" wasn't some trinket, but the baby Ashley was carrying. That was why she had been hired in the first place.

Before she left, Ms. Swan was able to talk with Sean again, this time without his father hovering nearby. She could sense Sean truly loved and cared for Ashley, but his father would most likely cut him off if Sean tried to marry the girl. After living a life of easy privilege, willingly giving it up for hard working poverty was difficult to do. Even for true love. But Emma thought she could foster his sympathies enough for him to do the right thing. She told Sean that Ashley was running away with the baby. HIS baby.

Maybe that would get through to him.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Evacuation)

Rosetta had been coaxed out of her hiding place by Chloe, her garden fairy friend. Ro joined in and kept working, but it was readily apparent to everyone that her mind was somewhere else. Just thinking about the winter season made Rosetta focus on Sled and the awful things he had said to her. They kept repeating in her head. The same painful refrain echoing non-stop all day long and into the night. On that second day, she and her guild mates were gathering all the seeds and sproutlings for transport to the Mainland. With just hours before the curse was to arrive, it all boiled over.

"Do you think I'm a Jezebel, Chloe?!" she asked.

"What?"

"Do you think I'm a Jezebel?! A charlatan? A liar? A deceiver?"

"No. I don't think so, but I haven't known you long enough to say different, Rosetta," Chloe admitted. "Maybe one of your friends could tell you." Chloe giggled nervously, a habit of hers when stressed.

Rosetta looked around at the other garden fairies, many of whom did know her well enough. "Well, does anyone here think I'm a deceiver?"

They all just looked at her strangely.

"You actually think that, don't you?" Ro said, fearful of the answer. Her body trembled. Her wings twitched uncontrollably. Rosetta's eyes swelled with tears. "Oh my gosh! You do think that."

"Uh, Rosetta, what brought this on?" Fern asked.

"Yeah, you've been acting strangely since yesterday afternoon," Lilac added.

Rosetta broke down crying. She spilled every word spoken between her and Sled yesterday. What was said, all the terrible things he called her. Why he wouldn't marry her and chased her off. It spilled out like someone opening up a damn and releasing all the water.

"Oh, Rosetta," Ivy consoled. She began to tear up and wept alongside Rosetta. "You must feel awfu-ul."

"Not helping, Ivy," Lilac stated.

Ivy was prone to weeping and crying over almost anything at the drop of a hat. Or a flower petal. "I'm sorry," she said through her weeping. "I just can't…, I just can't… can't help myse-elf!"

Chloe pulled Rosetta away from the blubbering Ivy and asked what she though made Sled say those awful things. Rosetta had no idea. As far as she knew, she and Sled had been a great couple up until recently when he started losing interest in her.

"He said I…, I wouldn't listen to him," she whimpered. "That I made him do only what I wanted. That's not true. Is it?"

"I don't know, Rosetta. Is it?" Chloe asked, turning the question back around.

"Why ask me?"

"You were there, remember? Did you want him to only do 'you' things? Or were you willing to concede and do the things he wanted, as well?"

"Of course I went along with his silly ideas," she said.

"Went along? Silly?" Lilac repeated. "Sounds like you were just humoring him."

"Yeah," Fern added, "you can't be in love with someone and treat them like they don't matter. No wonder he left you."

"But he does matter!" Rosetta countered. "He always mattered to me. I can't stop thinking about him."

"It sounds like you want him to be a fantasy husband," Chloe told her. "Not a real flesh and blood husband."

"Yeah!" Ivy screamed. "You're so me-ean!" She started crying again.

"I bet that is why you have so many ex-boyfriends, Rosetta," Fern said. "You want a fantasy, not the person. You order them around so you can live that idealized life you want and end up pushing them away."

"But he's perfect for me!" Rosetta yelled. "He's always been perfect."

"Maybe it's time to remember you have to be perfect for him, too," Lilac advised.

"Yeah, Rosetta. He's giving and you're taking. It's time you started giving in return," Chloe said. "You can't just humor him. It needs to be genuine, just like with best friends."

"Relationships are a two way street, Ro," Fern added. "Remember, a one way street will always come to a dead end."

The look on Rosetta's face changed drastically. At first, she looked horrified by what she had done. Then she seemed almost reborn. "You're right. I have been selfish and unyielding. Well no more of that. I'm a brand new Rosetta. It's time for me to make up with my man. Girls, it's been an honor gardening with you."

"Are you leaving us?" Chloe asked.

"I am," she answered. "I know what I have to do now. He made wonderful sacrifices for me and I took them for granted. Now it's time for me to make a wonderful sacrifice for him. I'm going north with the Winter Fairies."

"What?"

"Rosetta, you can't!"

"Yeah, you'll freeze."

"You girls can't talk me out of it. I'm going home to gather up all my winter clothes," she told them. "Then I'm heading for the border and I won't look back. No offense, but for the first time in my life, I finally understand true love. And its name is Sled!"

The garden fairies hugged Rosetta one at a time. They said their tearful goodbyes and then watched as she flitted off into the housing district to collect her things.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Why didn't you tell me she sold the baby?" Emma asked of Ruby back at the diner. She was quite angry that critical information had been withheld from her in this investigation.

Ruby, however, refused to talk in front of Henry. He was the mayor's boy and saw him as a threat.

"Hey, I'm on your side," he pleaded, but to no avail. Emma told Henry to go home and he dejectedly left the diner.

Ruby told her that Ashley had changed her mind and wanted to keep the baby. As they two women talked, Emma noticed Ruby's wolf charm sitting on the counter. A quick glance outside revealed that the red Firebird was missing. The waitress didn't send Emma to Sean's for information, but to give Ashley a head start. The woman with child was trying to make a run for it to Boston.

Emma dashed back into her yellow VW Beetle and drove after the girl. In the rear seat Henry suddenly popped up wanting to know where they were going next. Emma was at first frightened by the surprise then angered by his disobedience. She told him about the maid, but first she was going to take Henry home.

He correctly concluded that if she did that, she wouldn't be able to catch up to Ashley. Emma knew he was right and kept going. When he found out the girl was trying to leave town, Henry said she couldn't.

"Bad things happen to anyone who tries to leave," he said with desperation. Sure enough, when the yellow bug reached the town limits the red Firebird was found crashed on the side of the road. Ashley was sitting in a nearby field. She was going into labor.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Thomas' plan was simple. Rumpelstiltskin would be lured by the promise of a new contract. Cinderella would tell him she was expecting twins and wanted to strike a new bargain for the second child. His desire to strike deals was his one weakness, Grumpy informed her. Once properly enticed, Ella was to get him sign with a red quill pen Thomas provided. The pen had been enchanted with fairy magic and would render him paralyzed and unable to use his dark magic against her.

Grumpy then added that the old mines he and his brother dwarves used to work were now converted into a special prison just to hold Rumpelstiltskin. She was shown the cell where he would be held for the rest of his immortal life. Ella was uncertain about this. Magic had gotten her into this bad situation.

"All magic comes with a price," she said. "What if there is price for this magic?"

"Then I will pay it," Thomas reassured her. Ella was still apprehensive, but went along with the plan. It was the only way to get out of losing her unborn child to that evil imp.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Evacuation)

"Sled, Sled, I want to apologize," she yelled to her beau.

"Not now, Ro," he yelled, irritated. "I've too much work to play your stupid, little mind games."

"But this isn't a mind game," she answered. "I understand what I did wrong. And why you were right."

"Sure, tell me another one. Get lost!"

"I'm not getting lost!" she screamed, stomping her foot for emphasis. "I'm not leaving until you listen to me. I want to marry you right this instant."

"And what makes now any different than the other times you lied," he growled.

"Because this time I'm coming with you!" she screamed back into his face.

He looked befuddled. "You're what?" Sled craned his head around and saw a stack of luggage piled high. "Is that all yours?"

"Yes it is, Sled," she cooed. "I know now that I was being selfish. I wanted to live a fantasy, but I wanted my boyfriend to be a fantasy, too. That was wrong. I have to accept you for who you are. And when I stepped back to see the real you, not the fantasy you, I couldn't believe my eyes. You were everything I ever wanted. I was just too stupid to see it. Please take me with you. Please marry me."

Sled was concerned at first, but as she spoke he heard not contempt, nor deception, but sincerity. Full throated sincerity like he had never known since she first agreed to marry him that winsome evening. His winter heart melted and he grabbed her into his big arms.

"Ooh," she giggled. Then he kissed her so hard she thought her boots were going to fly off. "OH MY!"

He warned her about the cold weather environment the winter fairies were heading towards. She would need to wear warm clothing at all times and protect her wings constantly. Sled also would not be able to provide Rosetta with a proper honeymoon until after the winter fairies had settled in and were functional. Which could be months. Rosetta didn't care, she would lose both of her wings and wait an eternity for him if need be. With that, he scooped her up in his arms and the two sought out The Keeper of All Fairy Knowledge to perform a wedding ceremony.

After the abbreviated ceremony was ended and the Keeper declared them man and wife, he said they could take ten minutes to kiss and hug before getting back to work. But when he saw how much they looked ever so longingly into each other's eyes, he changed his mind. "Eh, go ahead and take twenty minutes, instead."

"Twenty minutes enough for you, Ro?"

"It will feel like twenty years of ecstasy as long as it's with you, Sugarpie" she told him. The two promptly found a closet and locked the door behind them.

The Keeper laughed. "Ha, lovebirds."

* * *

**I do hope this chapter is as interesting and enjoyable as the others. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**

**Scorecard**

**Sean Herman = Prince Thomas**

**Sean's Father = The King, Thomas' Father**

**Leroy = Grumpy**

**Marco = Geppetto**

**Ruby = Red Riding Hood**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 4, Chapter 8**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Cinderella waited in the gardens, her belly swollen with her child. She didn't have to wait long for Rumpelstiltskin to show up. He was taking a nip of something when he made his presence known. Ella told him she wanted to alter their bargain, but Rumpelstiltskin reminded her that he didn't do that. A contract is a contract.

"I think you'll want to," she told the imp. "I'm having twins."

Surprised by this development, he tossed his glass aside and touched her belly. "Oooooh," he said gleefully at the prospect of another child he could take.

Ella told him that massive crop failings caused by poor soil and little water left her kingdom desperate, hungry and poor. She was willing to offer the other child if he could make the soil fertile again. All he had to do was sign his name to a new contract she provided for him.

"And you would give up your second child for… comfort?" he asked her.

"We can have more children, but one cannot grow crops when the soil is dead." She then produced the red quill for him to sign.

"What a lovely quill," he said, almost as if he knew. He warned her not to deceive him. She assured him that everything was proper. "Now do you want my child or not?"

"YES!" he said greedily. Rumpelstiltskin took the quill and signed his name to the contract. The moment he did he was enveloped in fairy magic that paralyzed him. He could not use his own dark magic to escape and was trapped.

"No one breaks deals with me dearie," he warned her. No matter how long it took, no matter what realm she went to he would find a way to get that baby from her. Prince Thomas and his men quickly appeared from their hiding places and locked up the imp in shackles that kept him from using his magic. He was put into a cart to be removed to his new prison.

Cinderella was relieved that her ordeal was over. He consoled her.

"How is our little Alexandria?" he asked, his palm lovingly placed across her belly. He had already selected a possible name for the baby.

"Alexandria? That sounds more like a prison sentence than a name," she joked. Then she started to feel poorly. Thomas went to the well to fetch water. While at the well, Thomas heard some rustling and thought it was Cinderella.

Moments later, Ella's sick feeling went away and she called out to Thomas. He did not answer. She went looking for him at the well, but he was not there. She recalled his statement that if there was a price to pay he would pay it for her. Cinderella went to Rumpelstiltskin who was now loaded into the cart. She asked him where Thomas was. The dark imp reminded her that he was chained and powerless now. Yet he indicated that he was involved in his disappearance by telling her that Cinderella would never see Thomas again until her debt was paid.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma drove with abandon back towards Storybrooke. Ashley, however, wanted to be taken to Boston, but her contractions were coming faster and stronger.

"Oh no, we don't have four hours to go to Boston," Emma reminded the pregnant woman. The only hospital close enough was Storybrooke General. Even if meant Mr. Gold would be waiting for them there.

During the drive Ashley maintained that she didn't want to give up her baby. Not to Mr. Gold or Mitchell Herman or anyone. She was going to keep it. Emma believed that Ashley should be allowed to keep the baby. She was an adult and could make those decisions as an adult, no matter what others thought of her. But she explained to Ashley that babies were enormous responsibilities and that one had to be prepared to take on such a massive undertaking.

She told the pregnant girl how she wasn't ready for a child at eighteen and had to give hers away. Henry, who was in the backseat, knew he was that baby she had given up for adoption. While it hurt to hear that his mother didn't think she was ready, he took comfort in knowing that it was done so he could have the best chance at a good life.

Emma emphasized that once Ashley decided to keep the baby she had to honor that commitment, because running away was no longer an option.

Ashley said she was ready and willing for the difficult task and reiterated, through the clenched teeth of another contraction, that she wanted to keep her child.

**~O~**

When Ashley arrived at the hospital she was whisked away by the staff into the maternity ward. There the woman was met by her OB/GYN, Doctor Odessa del Sol. Odessa was an African American woman of thirty years. She seemed young, but was a highly qualified and respected member of the medical community. Dr. del Sol made sure the birth was as easy as possible for the young woman.

**~O~**

"Thank you for bringing me my merchandise," Mr. Gold told Emma.

"A baby is your merchandise?" she questioned him. Emma tells Mr. Gold that Ashley wants to keep the baby and has every right to do so. Gold reminds Emma that Ashley is under contract. He tells her that contracts are the foundation of all civilized societies, from simple lease agreements to national constitutions, contracts prevent chaos. While technically correct, Emma disliked his application of a contract and tells Gold that no jury in the world would convict a mother who wanted to keep her child, no matter what she signed. She even goes so far as to threaten Gold with a legal investigation. "I think there is more to you than just a simple pawn broker," she tells him point black.

Mr. Gold was impressed by Emma's strength of character and iron will. Everyone in town was rightfully afraid of him, but Emma was proving to be a formidable opponent. She wasn't apprehensive in her courage, Emma went toe to toe with him and showed absolutely no fear. However, Mr. Gold was anything if not resourceful. He offered an exchange. Ashley could keep the baby if Emma owed him a favor. To protect the girl and her infant, Emma agreed, though Emma had the feeling she would regret it later.

**~O~**

In the nursery, Sean arrives to greet his newborn daughter. Ashley has named her Alexandria. Sean had made the difficult decision to deny his father and his money to support his girlfriend and baby girl. He knew it would be difficult, but it was a decision he was willing to live with if it meant taking care of the two most important women in his life: Ashley and Alexandria.

**~O~**

In another part of town, Mayor Mills is zipping up her black dress. She is in someone's apartment, the bedroom, in fact. That person is in the shower. "Don't forget, your socks are under the bed. See you next Saturday for another Council Meeting?'" she tells that person with a delicious smile on her face.

**~O~**

Emma races Henry home so he can be there before his mother shows up. He is deposited at the house moments before Regina arrives. Henry races up the stairs to his room; one of his shoes falls off and sits on a stair. He dives into his room, removes a textbook from his book bag and pretends to be studying on his bed. His mother calls out his name angrily.

"HENRY! Henry, how many times have I told you not to leave your shoes on the stairs," Regina tells him, bringing him his lost sneaker. "Someone could get hurt."

She suspected nothing.

**~O~**

The person in the apartment reaches under the bed for the socks. As he is putting them on, Sheriff Graham receives a phone call. "Graham? It's Emma. It's time I put down some roots. I'll take that job."

**~O~**

Valerie said very little at first. She didn't want to talk to this guy. He was a dork. He even dressed like a dork. But worst of all, he was being paid by her mother to do her bidding. Valerie supposed he might brainwash her into just getting along with everyone around her. No original thought in her virginal little head. Just like that cute as apple pie little sister of hers.

Claire and Tina were off mowing a couple lawns. Jobs her mother was able to line up at the last second before the sun went down today. After losing the renovation house Valerie knew that they were going to struggle. She almost felt sorry for her mother. Then that wicked witch dropped her here to chat with Dr. Archie Hopper. He probably graduated first in his class at Nerd U., where everyone received a tiny diploma you wore on the bridge of your glasses.

"It's okay if you feel uncomfortable the first day," he tells her. "It happens quite a bit. You don't know me, you don't trust me. I can be intimidating."

"Intimidating? HA!" she said to him. "You look like you're on your way to a _Star Trek_ convention. Or maybe _Star Wars_. Either way, they're both for weirdoes with too much time on their hands."

"I see," Archie responded. His voice was kind and soft. He tried his best to be a comfortable and soothing presence. "Well that's a good start. I know what you think of me. What about your mother? What do you think of her? She thinks you hate her. That can't be true."

She laughed again. "You don't know my mother very well. She is an evil woman."

"How would you characterize evil?"

"She dropped me here, didn't she?"

"You're here because she cares about you," Archie told Valerie.

"Puh-lease! She only cares about her daughter," Valerie spat.

"You are her daughter," Archie reminded her.

"No, I'm adopted. Tina is her daughter, her one and only. I'm here so I'll learn to step in line and be just like that sickeningly sweet little girl of hers. All sugar and spice and everything nice."

"Is that it? You think she brought you here to force you to change? That's not true, Valerie. Your mother wants you here so _she_ can change. To find out what she has done to make you so angry with her and be a better mom. Isn't that what you want?"

"Wait a minute, you can't tell her anything. I watch TV, I know all about doctor / patient confidentiality."

"She didn't tell you? Oh, well, this is family therapy. You talk to me with your concerns, then she talks to me with her concerns and then you both talk with me and to each other to work out your problems."

"That's not how they do it on _Frasier_."

"That's just a TV show. Valerie, this is so you can talk freely without your mother hovering over you. I don't want you to feel judged. Wouldn't it be nice to get along with your mother? Not because she orders you, but because she understands you? That is your biggest complaint, isn't it? She doesn't understand you?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Good, good. Well, then, let's get started."

"How do I know you're not just saying that to make me talk?"

"Tell you what. Let's do a few round of sessions. If you don't see a change in her and if you still think I'm just her well paid pawn then we'll stop. I won't force the issue. I won't even let your mother bring you into my office. Deal?"

Valerie quirked a suspicious eyebrow at him. "Okay, anything to show that woman up."

"Good, now where do you want to begin?"

* * *

**Whew, okay, this wraps up Episode 4. I do hope you've enjoyed this so far. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**

**(Okay, when it comes to family therapy, I have no idea if that is how it works under any circumstances, but honestly that is how I would want it to be conducted for me.)**

**Scorecard:**

**Dr. Odessa del Sol = Iridessa **

**Note: del sol is Spanish for "of the sun." Odessa is Greek for "odyssey."**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 5, Chapter 1**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

A traveling group of entertainers operating under the name of Martin and Myrna's Marvelous Marionettes were putting on a show for the village locals. Using a covered wagon that converted into a stage, the audience stood around wagon to watch.

While the story plays out on the miniature stage, a comedy about a knight rescuing a princess from a dragon, the audience members are kept entertained and distracted. Distracted enough that they do not notice a young boy slipping his way into the crowd where he is quietly slitting purses, picking pockets and cutting into handbags thus relieving them of their gold, jewels and other personal belongings. When finished he silently slips into the wagon unseen.

The show was all part of a con. His parents, who run the show, are thieves, sleight of hand magicians and con artists. After leaving the village behind the trio stops to count their ill-gotten gains. The redheaded, freckle-faced boy, Jiminy, finds a cricket held in a tiny, wooden cage in the stash of stolen goods. He admires the creature because crickets are free to roam. Jiminy yearns to be free from his parent's unconscionable influences. He doesn't like to steal, he wants to be good.

"Good is another word for weak," his father instructs him.

"You are free," his mother says, "free to do what we want."

"You are who you are and there's no changing it, Jiminy," his father tells him. A mantra to keep him under their control. The boy feels trapped.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

In Doctor Hopper's office, Archie is having an evening session with Henry.

"Were you always a cricket?" Henry asks him. Archie wanted to know why he thought that. Henry replied it was because he was a conscience. As a psychologist, Archibald Hopper helped others to understand right from wrong and act appropriately.

"So all the crickets in Storybrooke, they were people, too?" the good doctor asked.

Henry noted that he has never heard any crickets in Storybrooke and that Archie had simply never noticed. Archie asked if that was proof of his curse theory. Henry said it was, but he would look for more evidence.

"I asked you this before and you said you think about it. Why do you think it's so important that this is real?"

"It…, it just is," the boy replied.

"Keep thinking about that, Henry, I think there is something buried there."

**~O~**

In another part of town, Emma was at the Sheriff's Office to be formally deputized. But there were conditions. Graham presented her with a deputy's uniform which included pants, a shirt and a tie.

"Really? You know you don't have to dress a woman in a tie to give her authority," she told Graham. He asked to at least wear the badge, to make it official.

**~O~**

Claire was reading a bedtime story to her youngest. It concerned a heroic, old knight who rescued a beautiful, young princess from a fearsome dragon that had plagued her for a long time. She fell in love with him and him with her. But soon they discovered that love was not enough. Their ages were too different and they had so little in common. Her land was far away and she was of a different culture than his. As hard as they tried to be what the other needed, it wasn't enough.

Painful as it was, they had to go their separate ways. The lovely princess eventually found new love, married him and together they lived happily ever after. The foolish, old knight, however, lived the rest of his life lonely and heartbroken, holding tight to the memories of the young princess. Upon his deathbed he understood the folly of his actions and uttered these final words, _How poorly I have lived, that I never made room in my heart to love another._

"The end."

"That's it?" Tina barked. "What a terrible story, Mom. What are you trying to do? Give me nightmares?"

"Oh no, dear," Claire laughed. "Nothing like that."

"But what about true love? Why wasn't that enough?"

"Sweetie, sometimes true love means letting go," Claire explained. "The foolish knight didn't understand that. It's why he died a lonely man."

"Hmph, if that had been a Disney movie true love would have conquered all," Tina said while crossing her arms.

Claire smiled. "Sweetheart, loss is a part of life. We can't cripple ourselves by holding on to what we can no longer have. We miss other opportunities for happiness. Now get some sleep, Tina." She leaned over and kissed her dear child on the forehead. "Goodnight."

Exiting the bedroom, Claire gently closed the door behind her. She went to the next bedroom, which was Valerie's and went inside, knocking quietly before entering. Val was sitting on her bed and watching television.

Before she could say anything, the house shook so violently Claire thought it was going to fall down around them. Then, just as suddenly, it stopped.

"What is that an earthquake?" Val yelled.

**~O~**

The instant Emma Swan tucked the deputy badge onto her belt, a violent explosion rocked the office and the entire town. The phones in the sheriff's office quickly started to ring. With no answers to offer the townspeople, Emma and Graham went outside to learn what had happened. In the distance they spotted a plume of smoke rising from the ground.

"There, let's go," Graham instructed his new deputy.

The column of smoke was coming from a wooded area just outside of town. When the sheriff and deputy arrived several townspeople had already gathered. The fire department was already on scene. Claire, with her two daughters, the youngest still in sleep pants and wearing a jacket, looked at the source of the violent shock wave. "What is that?" Claire asked Marco.

"Is that a crater?" Ruby added.

"No, its tunnels, a mine, it must have collapsed," he replied with his imperfect English and strong accent.

The mayor arrived and immediately began giving orders to Graham to keep everyone back. She then told Emma that this was town business and she could leave. When Ms. Swan told the mayor she now worked for the town as the new deputy, Regina put her to work.

Dr. Hopper and Henry arrived just in time to hear Mayor Mills give a little speech. She told everyone that it was one of several mines in the area and that she intended to make the area safe by filling it in and paving it over.

Henry was horrified. He thought she was trying to cover something up. He sensed that something important was down there and someone had to investigate. Regina, however, was not happy with his response and told him to wait in her car.

Regina then noticed a small piece of what looked like glass. It looked familiar to her and she put the debris in her coat pocket.

"What was that?" Henry asked Emma. Regina, however, did not want him near the collapsed tunnel, she insisted he go to the car. Moments later, though, Henry called a meeting of "Operation Cobra" with Emma and Archie. He told them something had to be down there.

"It's just a bunch of old tunnels," Emma told him.

"That just happened to collapse right after you got here?" he told her. "You're changing things, you're weakening the curse."

Emma denied it, but Henry told her it was so. "Did you do anything different today? Because something made this happen."

She fingered the deputy badge that hung from her belt. The tunnel collapse occurred at the _exact_ moment when she slipped that badge on. Suddenly she was having doubts about her conviction.

Regina was furious that Henry had disobeyed her a third time. In short order, she put Henry back in the car, put Emma back to work running police tape around the area and pulled Dr. Hopper aside to dress him down. She was getting frustrated that Henry thought everything she was doing was all part of some grand conspiracy. Regina wanted a change in treatment to bring Henry back to reality.

Dr. Hopper didn't think it was appropriate to shatter his worldview that way. Regina, however, wasn't interested in his opinions, only his obedience. She reminded him that he worked for her.

"This is my town and you will lose everything." If Archie failed she would leave him with nothing more than his umbrella for a roof over his head.

"What would you have me do?" he asked her.

"I want you to take that delusion out of his head and you crush it!" she answered.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Jiminy, now a young man, and his parents pulled into an open air market where tents and tables were set up. His parents sized up the people and felt they had a little more money this year.

"You can tell by all the fat people," Martin said. Being overweight was a sign of prosperity in those days. It meant you had enough money to buy more food than you needed. Jiminy's mother and father decided to run the Elf Tonic scam on some poor, unsuspecting sucker.

Jiminy hated the idea. He was sick of stealing and wanted to go straight. Their travelling show earned more than enough money. But his parents justified their actions by telling him, "We steal from them, they steal from someone else. It's called an economy."

Their gross misinterpretation of an economy notwithstanding, Jiminy knew it was wrong and wanted to get out of the family business. But his parents used their typical ploys to keep him by making up complaints about pains and burning sensations. They had no conscience, but they knew he did and made good use of it to their own advantage. Essentially, they were scamming their own son and Martin and Myrna were enjoying every minute of it.

**~O~**

Jiminy was setting up the wagon when it started raining. A young boy came bounding up to him yelling "puppets!" He was very excited to see the show. The tyke, who wore a feathered hat and was holding an umbrella to keep off the rain, could see that Jiminy wasn't as excited about it. Every year it was the same shows and the same fairgrounds.

"Why don't you leave?" the boy asked.

After thinking about the answer Jiminy replied, "It's just who I am."

The boy just stood there. "Are you going to just stand there and watch me setup?" Jiminy asked him. The youngster replied that he also came to listen to the crickets. Jiminy hadn't taken the time to listen to the crickets in a good while. He visibly regretted it. Jiminy had become so wound up in his own emotions. Torn between his desire to escape his parents' influences and the weaknesses that kept him where he was.

Jiminy told the boy he should go home because he would get wet. The boy responded by giving Jiminy his umbrella to stay dry while he setup. An act of kindness that resonated quite deeply with Jiminy.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Early the next morning, the collapsed tunnel was the talk of the town. Desiree and her co-host, Cleo, an intelligent and talkative young woman with a fidgety laugh and short hair, kept the townspeople entertained with jokes and other nonsense about the mine collapse.

"You know what they say, Cleo," Desiree said.

"No, what do they say, Dee?"

"A mine is terrible thing to waste," she replied.

"Oooh, that was bad," Cleo said.

The audience seemed to agree as they booed the lame pun. Then Desiree used one of Johnny Carson's old comeback lines, albeit altered for the region. "Hmph. Well I hope you all find the toothbrushes of the entire New England Patriot's offensive line in your daughter's bathrooms tomorrow morning."

The audience snickered in response to that line. Those who remembered Johnny Carson cackled knowingly.

"Serves you right," she added.

**~O~**

"Ugh, that woman is such an airhead," Claire told her two girls who were at the breakfast table with her. They had been watching the show more intently today as Desiree and Cleo reported what little new information they had about the mine collapse. Though most of what they were saying was pure fluff.

Valerie seemed deep in a thought for a second before saying, "I wonder what would be more fun? One at a time? Or all at once?"

"Stop it!" Claire demanded. "You stop that right now and get those dirty thoughts out of your head, young lady."

"I wouldn't actually do it, I'm just asking a question," Val replied.

"Well, it's a nasty thing to think about," Claire answered. "Now eat your breakfast, we have a lot of work to do today."

After a brief pause Tina suddenly announced, "I think Valerie watches porn."

"I DO NOT WATCH PORN, YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!" Valerie yelled as she grabbed her younger sister and started punching her.

"OW! OW! MOM, SHE'S HITTING ME!" Tina yelled, looking for sympathy.

"THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF BOTH YOU!" Claire screamed at them. She slammed the table with her fists and stood up as she shouted. It brought both girls a stop, with looks of complete terror on their faces.

"…oh crap," Val whimpered.

"…ditto," Tina mumbled back.

The two girls were so scared that they were actually holding on to each other for support and solidarity.

"You two stop acting like children and start acting like young ladies," Claire bellowed. "But if you insist on acting like children, then fine. Tina, you eat over there," she said pointing to one of the table. "Valerie, you eat over there," Claire added, pointing to the end of the table. "And I do not want to hear another peep out of either one of you!"

Mrs. Kensington sat back down to finish her breakfast. Outwardly she was furious at them. Inwardly she was relieved. For the first time in weeks Tina and Valerie were acting like sisters again.

Sisters who wanted to kill each other every chance they got, but at least it was progress.

**~O~**

At around lunchtime, Marco came to visit his best friend, Archie. They were to have lunch together, but Archie had to turn him down. Dr. Hopper was seeing a patient today. His patient was Henry. "Have a good session, my boy," Marco told him with a smile.

"Are you recruiting Geppetto for Operation Cobra?" Henry asked. Henry believed that since Geppetto and Jiminy Cricket were best of friends and he and Marco were best of friends, that Marco had to be Geppetto.

Archie was conflicted. He had to do what Regina told him, but he knew it would do harm to Henry which was against his ethics. Henry though, kept talking about the curse. Emma was here now and suddenly things were changing. He even showed Archie his backpack filled with candy bars and a flashlight. He was going to get more evidence by going down into the collapsed tunnel. Archie became frightened for the boy. He told him that he had to stop believing in this delusion. Something that was not real. Archie thought he might have outgrown this by now, but it was becoming a psychosis and that Henry would be put in the hospital if this nonsense didn't come to an end and soon.

Henry started to cry, he was so devastated that one of the persons had trusted had stopped believing in him and was now trying to convince him that this was all a fantasy. He ran out of the office, upset and made his way to Mary Margaret's place…, and Emma.

* * *

**For Amanda (I Luv Milarion 1201)**

**Thank you for reading, please leave a review. Sorry it took a while, I lost my enthusiasm after I heard about I Luv Milarion 1201. She always brightened my day. She brightened everyone's day. I hope she can come back soon.**

**Scorecard: **

**Cleo = Chloe (A Garden Fairy)**

**Dr. Archie Hopper = Jiminy**

**Note: At the end of Episode 5, I will be moving this story to the crossover section (Tinker Bell / Once Upon A Time).**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 5, Chapter 2**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Era on the Mainland)

Tinker Bell and her new found sister, Periwinkle, hugged at the border for the last time. When Tink visited the border between the warm and cold seasons earlier her wings lit up, they sparkled. Tink being Tink, she had to investigate. Tinkering a cold weather coat and hitching a ride in one of the woven baskets her guild mates made for the Winter Fairies, she made her way into the forbidden realm of the Winter Woods.

Warm fairies were not allowed in the Winter Woods because their wings would freeze solid and break. But she needed to know why her wings sparkled, so tucking them into her coat she was going on another mad adventure. It was here that Tink learned she had a sister named Periwinkle, a frost talent fairy.

Like Tink, Peri was just as adventurous and wanted to visit the warm seasons. So upon returning she and her friends designed and built a snow making machine to keep Periwinkle cool. The tour of the Autumn Forest went great, but in the Summer Glade things turned badly. The machine was running out of the ice needed to make the snow. Periwinkle could not tolerate the heat and her wings began to wilt. Tinker Bell and her girlfriends rushed to get Peri back across the border before her wings broke. They made it, but not before earning the ire of Milori, the Lord of Winter.

"This is why we do not cross the border," he told them harshly. But Tinker Bell would not be denied. She adamantly refused to obey Lord Milori's rule.

"It's not Milori's rule, Tinker Bell," came a soft voice from behind her. "It is mine."

When Tink and her friends turned around they saw the beautiful ruler of all Pixie Hollow, Queen Clarion approaching them. She had been told of the border crossing by one of the scouts. Now came to the border to set things straight with her headstrong tinker fairy. It was made very clear that under no circumstances were Tink and Peri ever to see each other again. It was too dangerous. This was when the two sisters embraced one last time. Both thought that their respective leaders were heartless for not letting them see each other ever again, but they each kept their thoughts to themselves.

When Milori and Clarion were left alone at the border they looked across the divide and all their old memories came flooding back. The heartbreak that each had been able to suppress with time came roaring back with a vengeance. That last moment at the border that they had shared was nearly identical to what happened just now between Tinker Bell and Periwinkle. It was like re-living a painful memory in full detail. Now their hearts broke because two others had been hurt.

After sharing that brief look which spoke volumes about their past and their everlasting pain, the two monarchs turned and went their separate ways. Clarion had to stop and hide in the trees where she wept uncontrollably. After knocking the snow making machine into the river that separated the warm and cold seasons, Milori kept flying on his owl. But he couldn't hold back his tears, either. He kept flying and circling until he was able to compose himself again.

_"I have some bad news, everyone," _he remembers telling his winter fairies centuries ago_. _

_"In a terrible tragedy one of our own has crossed the border and broken a wing."_

_The assembled winter fairies gasped. "I will not say who. That person is not even in the room right now. However, the queen has passed down a decree. From this day forward no fairy, warm or winter, is allowed to cross the border."_

_Murmurs and shocked grumblings filled the hall. "We can still meet at the border, right?" someone asked._

_"I'm sorry, part of that decree is that there will no longer be any face to face contact between the two sides of Pixie Hollow."_

_This led to an uproar. "She can't do that!" someone yelled._

_"I have friends over there," another complained._

_"What about our guilds? How will we communicate?" someone else asked._

_"This is absolute," Milori told them. "No one, not even the queen nor myself, can violate this new law. Methods of communications will be restricted. No personal letters or other similar contact will be tolerated. Only communiqués of an official nature will be allowed."_

_"We won't stand for this!" someone shouted from the crowd._

_"You have no choice," was his firm reply. "Now please go. We will allow one last assembly at the border for friends and guild mates to say goodbye. After that, there will be no further contact."_

_The unhappy crowd dispersed, but Milori already heard dissention among his people. Talks of insurrection abounded, but nothing would ever come of it._

_Dewey, the Keeper of All Fairy Knowledge and Lord Milori's closest friend flitted up to him. "I noticed that you're wearing a cape, there, Lord Milori."_

_"What's your point, Keeper?"_

_"Well, you've never worn a cape before," Dewey answered. "Might I presume that you are the one who broke a wing?"_

_"Keeper, you and I know each other well, but today you presume too much," Milori snapped._

Lord Milori always regretted being so cross with his friend that day.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret was visiting David Nolan in the hospital. He was still recovering from his ordeal at the old Toll Bridge. The two were playing Hangman, wherein the player tried to guess the letters in a word before a stick figure drawing was completed hanging from a gallows. Each missed letter added an appendage. As it turned out, the word was Mary Margaret's own name. David, though admitted he would never have let her hang. "I would have added fingers, toes, maybe a horse."

David was still having problems remembering anything from before his accident, a form of amnesia known as retrograde amnesia. He was, however, making new memories just fine. "Maybe I like the new memories better," he told Mary Margaret. She smiled, David was so sweet to her. She kept falling for him. Yet she knew he was married, a matter of which she was reminded when Kathryn arrived.

**~O~**

Tina didn't go and work with her mother and sister today. She told Claire that there was an important test upcoming and she needed to study. Her study partner was Clarence, the mail carrier who had graduated last year.

"He already knows this stuff so he can help me study," she explained.

Claire agreed and dropped her off at the playground so they could study at one of the park benches. "I'll be back at four." Claire said. She then gave Tina ten dollars to eat if she got hungry.

"Thanks, Mom," Tina replied. She met up with Clarence and sat down to study with him. When Claire's truck was out of view, she quickly leapt from the table. "C'mon, let's go."

Clarence got up with her. They had planned this from the start. Both got into his Aztek and drove out of town into a wooded area far away from the road so they wouldn't be seen. Clarence setup the tent over the lift gate. Both climbed into the back, where the seats had been lowered flat. Clarence unrolled a blanket.

Soon, the windows of the Aztek were fogged up. Clarence and Tina were engaged in a serious make out session. Her jacket and shirt were off, leaving only her brassiere. He was completely topless. Clarence had made a hickey, or love bite, on her shoulder. If it had been on her neck, Claire would have seen it. This wasn't the first time they had slipped away to make out, but it was the first time they had been so intimate.

**~O~**

Mary Margaret went home and shared some Smores with Emma. She talked to Emma about why she kept feeling this way about David. And how Kathryn was so nice that she couldn't dislike the woman.

Emma advised Mary Margaret to just let it go. Falling in love with a married man would only lead to heartbreak. There were gentle taps at the door. When Emma answered she found Henry standing in the hall, crying.

**~O~**

Tina laid across Clarence's bare chest, their intense make out session having finally ended. She was very happy. Clarence kissed her temple lovingly. She looked up at him. "Clarence, can you do something for me?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure what is it?" he replied.

"That mine collapse last night got me thinking," she said. "I want to start living my life sooner than later. I mean who knows what will happen next? Right?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm glad you agree. Clarence, I want my first adventure to be with you."

"Sounds great, what is it?

"Will you be my first?"

"First what?"

"My first lover?"

Clarence nearly swallowed his own tongue. "What?"

"Yeah, I want my first adventure to be my first time."

"Tina, you're only sixteen, I could go to jail! I would go to jail!"

"No you won't," she told him. "I checked, the minimum age of consent in Maine is sixteen. You're safe, besides, I want it to happen on my birthday. You're present to me."

"Whoa now, Tina. I'll gladly make out with you, but sex is a completely different matter. We're both too young."

"No were not."

"Besides, what would your mother think?"

"She is never going to find out, and you aren't going to tell her. Right?" she said holding a fist to his face.

"My lips are sealed," he said.

She kissed him lightly. "Good answer."

Clarence was silent for a moment. He was thinking of a way to get out of this bad situation without hurting her feelings. "Well what if you get pregnant?"

"From one time? Not going to happen," she said.

"Well, maybe we should, y'know, use something," he suggested.

"Not on your life. I want my first time to be completely natural," she said. "Nothing is going to get in the way."

"I just don't know, Tina. It's all too risky."

"Look, I'm going to do this with or without you," she yelled. "If you aren't willing to be my first time, then I'll ask someone else. Like Blake. He likes me."

"Blake? The garbage collector? You barely know him?"

"I know he likes me," she replied.

"How do you know that?"

"He gives me that look every morning he passes by the house."

"Are you sure that's not just some horny guy who wants to bed a sixteen year old girl?"

"If he wants me, he can have me!"

Clarence felt backed into a corner. He liked this girl, cared about her and maybe even loved her. He didn't want anything bad to happen to Tina. But he wasn't sure if he loved her enough for sex. The problem was if she ran off to do this with someone else she might get hurt. What if she changed her mind and he didn't. She could be permanently traumatized from that.

He certainly couldn't go to her mother and tell her what they had been doing. She would get in trouble, but if his supervisor found out, Gerald might fire him. A nineteen year old man running around on the sly with a sixteen year old girl and having make out sessions. It wouldn't take much for rumors of sexual escapades to start running through this town. Misty, the manager of the Fish and Chips restaurant, loved juicy gossip and she couldn't keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. That scandal enough would get him canned from his good job.

_Oh why didn't I see this coming?_ Clarence asked himself. There was only one solution that would keep their secret and prevent Tina from being harmed by another person.

"Okay, I'll do it."

**~O~**

Emma came barging into the office of Archie Hopper. He was sitting on his couch, taking a drink with Pongo at his side. Emma yelled at him for trying to crush Henry's fantasy world.

"If the therapy isn't working, it has to be adjusted," he tried to explain, but Emma kept yelling.

"Was it Regina? What did she say that could make you ignore your ethics?" she asked. He tried to respond, but her cell phone rang.

"Is he with you," Mayor Mills bellowed angrily into the receiver.

"Yes, Doctor Hopper is here and you left your fingerprints all over him," Emma replied defiantly.

"Not him, my son."

"I left him at your office an hour ago."

That's when Archie realized where Henry had gone. Emma and Archie raced to the collapsed mine. At first they tried looking for Henry near the opening. Archie spotted a candy bar on the ground at the mouth of the tunnel. Henry had gone inside.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Jiminy had come to Rumpelstiltskin's castle. He brought a small bag of items he had stolen along with the names of their owners. Jiminy took payment in gold chain that Rumpelstiltskin had spun from straw. But the meek man wanted something else. He wanted to get away from his parents. So Rumpel offered him a deal. The Dark One would provide Jiminy with the means of escape. A vial with a potion that would give him his freedom. But Jiminy always the thoughtful one wanted to know what would become of his parents afterwards.

"Leave them where they are and I'll come collect," Rumpelstiltskin told him. "It will be my fee. Worry not, they'll be fine."

It was all the reassurance Jiminy needed. He took the vial and went back to his parents. Yet he was still conflicted. His conscience kept him from doing something he thought might be wrong.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Archie, feeling responsible for driving the boy into the mine, went inside after him. "Henry!" he called out to the boy. After taking a few steps, though, the roof began to collapse and Archie was forced deeper into the mine. He found Henry and told him to leave with him.

"You still don't believe me," Henry complained.

It wasn't about what Archie believed anymore, it was that Henry was in danger. But Henry wouldn't listen and was determined to find his proof. He ran deeper into the mine to look for it.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Martin and Myrna had found a young couple they thought could be conned. They decided to use the Elf Tonic scam on them. Jiminy didn't want to do that. He felt badly, but his parents' influence was too strong.

The Elf Tonic scam was a simple one, convince a gullible mark that plague was coming and that the only way to protect themselves was with Elf Tonic. After suitably frightening the victim they would offer their sole bottle of tonic in exchange for just about everything their target owned. In this case, the young couple was taken for every valuable possession in their modest home. The "tonic" was little more than rain water, the "plague" never existed. Of course, by the time it was discovered that it was all a sham, Martin and Myrna would be long gone.

But Jiminy couldn't let it go this time. "Those were good people," he told his parents. "They would never hurt us."

"That's where they went wrong," Martin told him with a smile. "Better to be people who take."

"Then be those who get taken from," Myrna finished.

That was all he tolerate. Jiminy's frustration and hatred for his parents' selfishness and greed made him take action.

"I'm sorry," he told them. "You've given me no other choice." He grabbed the bottle from around his neck, the one Rumpelstiltskin gave him, and threw the contents at his mother and father.

Nothing happened.

They just smiled. Martin had done some sleight of hand and switched the bottle with the rainwater bottle used in their scam. As con artists, Martin and Myrna had become extremely perceptive. They noticed the new bottle hanging around Jiminy's neck and drew conclusions. So when Jiminy was asleep, they made the switch.

Jiminy's heart sank. He had given Rumpelstiltskin's potion to that young couple. Upon his realization he ran back to the cottage hoping to stop them. Martin and Myrna, on the other hand, just laughed at their own cleverness. They didn't care who got hurt, just as long as it wasn't them.

When Jiminy opened the door, he found he was too late. They young man and woman had already taken the potion. It had turned them into marionette puppets. A male and a female that looked as if shock or terror was permanently carved into their faces. The hand of one puppet was gripping the hand of the other, two lovers permanently trapped in wood.

He had hurt innocent bystanders. Killed them perhaps because he sought freedom, or vengeance. If he hadn't wanted to be rid of his parents so badly they would have been spared this horrible fate.

"Oh look, more puppets for the act," Myrna said happily, not caring that this was once a human being just seconds ago.

"Momma! Poppa!" The voice came from a familiar young person. The same little boy who gave Jiminy the umbrella ran into the cottage. This nice, young couple were his parents. "What have you done to my Momma and Poppa?" he yelled at Jiminy.

He couldn't stand himself anymore. Jiminy had just wanted to be rid of his parents and their scheming ways. Now he had ended the lives of two innocents and left their child an orphan. He was sick to his stomach with regret.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Era on the Mainland)

When Lord Milori used his owl to knock the snow maker into the river he didn't stay to watch it float away. Instead, he went deeper in the Winter Woods to escape the renewed pain he was feeling. If he had stayed, Milori would have seen that the machine didn't float harmlessly away. Instead, it became entangled in roots at the edge of a waterfall.

The river that separated the warm from the cold seasons was fluid on the warm side and iced over on the cold side. Where the two met, ice would break off and flow downstream. Now that same ice was falling into the snow maker while the water rushing over the falls was powering the device. So much ice was being shaved into snow that it created a whirling frozen cloud.

This whirling cloud grew until it began to throw off the delicate balance between the Winter Woods and the three warmer seasons. Soon, cold was pushing its way into the Autumn Forest and freezing over trees that were always colored in bright reds, yellows and oranges.

Tinker Bell was in the Queen's private library listening as Clarion told her the story of how two fairies met at the border and fell in love. One of them crossed the border and broke a wing.

"What happened to them?" Tinker Bell asked.

"They had to say goodbye," Clarion replied.

A second later, a depressed Tinker Bell was greeted with snow. The seasons were out of balance. Although the snow maker had been jettisoned from its improper perch Tink's friends, the damage had been done. Pixie Hollow was going to freeze. If the Pixie Dust Tree did not survive, then no pixie dust would be produced and no fairy would ever fly again.

* * *

**Another chapter. I just think more about Amanda and I can write. I think she is my muse. Enjoy, please leave a review.**

**Scorecard:**

**Blake = ? (A pleasant surprise)**

**Gerald = Fairy Gary**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 5, Chapter 3**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Once Clarence pulled down the tent and secured it, he and Tina drove back to the playground. There they sat in the backseat doing actual studying. Her upcoming test had, in fact, already passed. Her grade was an "A" as usual. But she knew to keep her grades that high she couldn't stop doing what got her that "A". Her attraction to Clarence, however, was so strong she couldn't deny herself any longer. That was why they had been making out.

"Tina," he asked her. "I'm not changing my mind, but why are you doing this? Why do you want to have sex so soon?"

"I told you, I want to live my life sooner than later," she replied.

"I think there is something else going on in your life," he said. "You can trust me."

Tina sighed. "I hate living with my sister," she said. "After Dad died she started changing, acting more and more nuts. My mother latched on to me to be her anchor. To keep her stable when everything else around her was falling down."

"Well that's a good thing. She depends on you. I don't understand why…?"

"My mother doesn't want to let me grow up," she finally admitted. "In her eyes I'll always be that sweet little girl who used to say 'I wuv you mummy.' I've been forced into being her perfect little angel every time she gets stressed so she can feel stronger. But I'm not eight years old anymore. I'm sixteen going on seventeen. She is making _me_ feel stressed."

"It sounds like your problem is more with your mother than your sister."

Tina didn't want to admit it, but Clarence was right. It was less difficult to blame her sister than her mother. Her mother had always been good and kind to her, just overprotective and overbearing. "I want to grow up now."

"Why have sex to grow up?" he asked her. "Why not talk to your mother?"

"Because she won't listen to me. I tell her I'm growing up, and she says 'of course you are,' but Mom doesn't change. Did you know she's still reading bed time stories to me? Last week Mom figured out how to use the parental controls for our cable TV service. Instead of Dexter, I get Dora the Explorer. That show is for babies. I was hoping Mom would help me grow up, guide me and offer advice. Now I have to do it all on my own."

Clarence took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly. "I won't let you down. I'll give you the best first time a girl ever had."

She smiled. "Thanks, Clarence."

He just couldn't turn away a damsel in distress. Especially one as nice as Tina.

**~O~**

At the mine Emma was soon joined by Graham, Regina and the town's emergency services and engineers. Workmen had begun to remove debris to gain access to the mine, but by removing the support more of the ceiling collapsed.

This gave cause to both Emma and Regina to start arguing again. Ms. Swan accused Regina of forcing Henry to prove himself. Regina blamed Emma for encouraging him to believe in fairy tales. Soon both ladies realized that bickering was doing them no good. It was wasting valuable time that Henry did not have.

They started discussing ways to remove the debris quickly.

Marco suggested explosives.

**~O~ **

Down in the tunnels, Henry shined his light down a shaft and reported that he saw something reflecting in the light. Archie, however, begged Henry to stop.

"Why? Because you think I'm crazy?" Henry replied.

"No, because I'm afraid for you, Henry. Were stuck inside a mineshaft with a collapsed tunnel and now we have no way out," Archie answered firmly.

Henry had shown almost no fear in going inside the abandoned mine. For the first time he felt afraid for his life and for Archie's. The boy had put himself and his friend in mortal danger. The two starting looking for another exit. They followed the sound of Pongo's barking and found an old mine shaft elevator. With no electricity to power it, they turned a large wheel to operate it manually.

Outside the mine city engineers surveyed the collapsed tunnel and found the best place to set their explosives. When everyone was clear of danger the dynamite was set off. The explosion raised a huge cloud of smoke and dust.

The shockwave from the explosion left the elevator car stuck in the mine shaft. Archie and the boy were no trapped in that rickety elevator.

When the smoke cleared around the mine entrance the engineers discovered that the tunnel had only collapsed further. Suddenly they were without options.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian era on the Mainland)

With the Pixie Dust Tree threatened, the fairies of Pixie Hollow raced to protect their special tree with blankets. But the tiny covers made from leaves were too small and easily blown away by the strong chill wind. It seemed hopeless.

The secret, it turned out, was frost. Tinker Bell figured this out when a flower Periwinkle had frosted didn't wilt under the extreme cold that was racing in. Flying into the Winter Woods, Tink found her sister who shared the secrets of the frost. Soon every frost talent fairy was on the warm side and putting down a protective layer on every plant and tree in the warm seasons.

After the freeze passed by and the seasons began to reassert themselves back into balance, Clarion and Milori revoked the border law. Since frosting the trees and plants saved them from the cold, it was theorized that frost could offer protecting to the wings of warm fairies who wanted to venture into the Winter Woods. It proved to be a correct hypothesis and soon warm fairies were visiting their friends and guild mates on the cold side of Pixie Hollow.

Rescinding the old law also allowed Queen Clarion and Lord Milori to rekindle their old love affair. One that had been interrupted centuries earlier. "Oh if we only knew," she told him. "How many years we have wasted away from each other."

"Don't focus on what we've lost, my dear," he told her. "Think about what we have gained."

Indeed, Tinker Bell's foolhardiness had ushered in a new era for Pixie Hollow. No one had to be afraid of losing a wing anymore. New friendships and romances were formed and the sisterly bond between Tink and Peri only deepened.

Rosetta, the garden fairy was admiring herself in the reflection of the ice when a handsome winter sparrow man introduced himself. "Hi, my name is Sled," he told her.

"Ohmygoshthatsperfect," she blurted out before catching herself. "Ooh, my name's Rosetta."

Vidia and Spike, one of the frost fairies who shared a similar cynical attitude, became good friends.

Bobble, a scrawny, redheaded tinker sparrow man brought a huge acorn to the hyperactive frost fairy Gliss, beginning a friendship that would morph into a romantic relationship.

Clarion and Milori smiled. "Yes, you are right, my love," she told him. "We have gained so much today."

While the other fairies and sparrow men played in the snow, Milori pulled Clarion aside. The two monarchs disappeared into the forest. They arrived at a frozen pond some distance away from the festivities. There on a rock next to the iced over pond was a picnic basket and a bottle of fairy wine.

"Oh, Milori, you shouldn't have," she breathed in anticipation. The Lord of Winter sat Clarion in his lap where he favored here with fruits and pastries made by the baking guild. After a lovely repast, they remained in each other's embrace, looking up at the sky. They watched clouds float lazily by.

"That looks like a mouse," she said pointing to one cloud.

A moment later he replied with, "That one looks like a snowy owl."

Clarion pointed to another cloud and said, "That one over there looks like a dragonfly."

"And that one," Milori instantly replied, "looks like two lovers ice skating."

"Where?"

Milori smiled playfully at her.

"…oh. I would love to." Helping the queen don a pair of ice skates (paper clips tied to her fairy shoes), Milori started to teach Clarion how to skate.

"It's not that unlike water skating," Milori said. "But you don't have use your wings."

"Well, I can't… keep… my balance," she told him.

"Then hold on to me, my love." Milori put one arm around her waist and took her hand in his free hand. She put her free arm around his strong body. Together they skated slowly across the isolated pond. She laid her head against his chest. Soon they were embracing each other. For the first time in a millennia they could once gain feel their hearts beat as one.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire drove to the playground, but couldn't find her daughter at the picnic tables. She exited her truck and started looking around desperately.

"Mom!" Tina called. "Mom, over here!"

Claire found her baby girl sitting in the back seat of some horrible looking vehicle that reminded Claire of an old AMC Gremlin. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"It's cold out there," Tina answered. "Don't worry, we've been studying."

THOOOM! Another shockwave rocked the town, this one wasn't anywhere near as strong as the first, but it caught everyone's attention just the same.

"What was that?" Tina asked.

"It came from that old mine shaft," Claire answered. "I'm going to take a look, they might need some help. Clarence, take her home."

Claire jumped back into her truck and drove out towards the collapsed mine. Clarence did as instructed and took Tina home. First they stopped at Granny's for a lite dinner.

**~O~**

At the hospital Mary Margaret was helping David Nolan with his physical therapy, keeping him company while he walked across the hospital grounds. Normally, someone from the hospital staff would accompany him, but the incident at the mine kept people busy. Mary Margaret, who volunteered regularly at the hospital, was willing to help.

"I feel like I woke up in a strange land," he told her as they strolled through the pastoral hospital grounds. He said that nothing felt very real except what he felt for Mary Margaret. Kathryn Nolan was trying to help him remember his former life, but none of it was coming back. Of course, he didn't tell Kathryn that. He acted like he remembered their old dog, Ajax. "Who names a dog Ajax?" he said.

That was when Mrs. Nolan showed up with cranberry muffins that she had baked for him. She was so loving to David that he couldn't disappoint her. Mary Margaret knew when to take her leave and walked away so Kathryn and David could be together

"See you tomorrow?" David asked her. She smiled back, but didn't give an answer.

**~O~**

Pongo, Archie's dog kept barking. Regina, Graham and the town's engineers couldn't find another way into the collapsed mine. But Emma had a sneaking suspicion and let Pongo out of the fire truck. He instantly ran to a spot of bare ground and started barking and pawing at it. Town workers cleared some of the dirt away and found a large metal sheet covering a rusty grate. It was an old mineshaft for an elevator.

With more onlookers arriving every minute, attracted by the explosion, they watched as Billy, Ruby and Marco used the two truck to remove the heavy grate. It was decided that someone had to go down there and look for Henry and Archie. It was the only way in or out. Regina wanted to go, but Emma got the nod. Regina had been driving a desk for ten years while Emma was more physically fit for the task.

"Bring my son back to me," Regina pleaded.

* * *

**Over 3000 views! That's awesome. Thanks to everyone who has been reading. You really made my day.**

**Here is another chapter to enjoy. Please R&amp;R. Thank you very much. **


	28. Chapter 28

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 5, Chapter 4**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The phone rang at the Kensington residence. Claire was calling to alert her youngest what was going on at the old mine.

"The mayor's son is trapped," she told Tina rather frantically. "It collapsed and they are trying to get him and Dr. Hopper out. I'm staying here in case they need a hand."

"Okay, Mom," Tina said. "I hope Henry and Doctor Hopper are okay."

"Yes. Me, too, sweetie," Claire answered. "Is your sister there?"

"She hasn't come home yet," Tina answered.

"Okay, call me when she does. I wuv you," Claire said.

"Awe, Mom, you're not going to make me say that, are you?"

"Please?"

Tina just sighed. "I wuv you, Mommy."

She could practically hear the big smile through the receiver. "I'll be home as soon as this is over. Bye."

"Bye, Mom." Tina hung up the phone.

Tina informed Clarence what was transpiring at the mine. He seemed genuinely frightened. Unable to study, they turned on the big screen television in the family room and watched the local news as events transpired.

**~O~**

Desiree was reporting from the old mine. Her co-host, Cleo moved throughout the crowd getting brief interviews with the onlookers gathering emotions, feedback and general impressions. Though not true reporters, Desiree thought it would be good way to bolster ratings for their morning show.

"And there she goes now," Desiree said. The camera focused on a blonde woman in a harness as she was being lowered into an old elevator mine shaft tunnel. The winch on the back of Billy's tow truck was the means by which she was carefully descending into the opening.

"Henry Mills and his therapist, Doctor Archie Hopper have been entombed inside this old mine for hours," Dee summarized. "Previous attempts to open up the collapsed entryway failed. Now this tow truck winch is their last desperate hope to recover the two missing persons from a terrible fate."

The camera never deviated from the scene as the blonde woman disappeared into the ground. "Newcomer Emma Swan, recently deputized, is risking life and limb by going down this treacherous elevator shaft to rescue those poor souls. We don't yet know why Henry and Dr. Hopper went into the mine, but right now we can only hope they come out alive."

**~O~**

While Emma was being lowered into the mine shaft, Archie and Henry sat in the rickety elevator. A single flashlight sitting upright was their only light source. Henry shared one of his chocolate bars with Archie as they talked. Henry apologized for getting them trapped. He only wanted to find proof of his theory so that Archie wouldn't think he was crazy.

"I don't think you're crazy," Archie said. Dr. Hopper explained that his mother had a very clear idea of what she wanted from him and she reacted badly when he deviated from that. But it was also natural for Henry to be creative and choose his own path. Archie then apologized for things he had said, about delusions and psychosis. Unlike Henry, who seemed to know who he was and what he had to do, Archie wasn't the person he thought he could be. At times he lacked conviction and had trouble standing up to authority figures.

"I'm not a very good person." This admission left him feeling dejected and depressed.

While the two spoke and shared, the elevator would occasionally shift and groan reminding the occupants of its precariousness.

"I think you can be him," Henry said. "I think you can be a good person."

Dr. Hopper couldn't see the connection. Jiminy Cricket was a conscience. Archie wasn't.

Like Archie, Jiminy took a while to figure out the right thing to do. It was just harder for Archie with the curse, Henry told him. Maybe that voice inside was who he really wanted to be. Somehow this resonated with Dr. Hopper. It made him believe that he could be that person after all. He listened deep inside himself, clearing his mind to find that voice. That conscience that everyone was supposed to have.

A sudden jolt brought both of them out of the moment. The elevator was shifting more, slowly losing its footing. They both knew what it meant. Soon the elevator would fall back to the bottom floor and they would both lose their lives.

**~O~**

Claire and the others watched intently as the winch kept putting more and more of the metal line down into the elevator shaft. "How far down can they be?" she asked herself from time to time.

Hartley was also there watching, waiting and hoping. Both were so concerned with the safety of Henry and Doctor Hopper that neither noticed the other.

**~O~**

Desiree continued to broadcast, usually with quick reports from Cleo as she made her way through the crowd with a cameraman. Cleo walked up to a middle aged woman with honey brown hair dressed in work clothes and stuck the microphone in her face. She identified herself to the woman before asking questions.

"What's your name?" Cleo asked.

"Claire Kensington," she replied.

"And what's going through your mind right now, Mrs. Kensington?"

"Oh I just hope they are okay," Claire answered. "I have two girls of my own and if one of them were trapped like this I would be a total wreck. I don't know how Mayor Mills can stay so calm."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kensington," Cleo replied before moving on to the next person.

**~O~**

"Hey, that's Mom!" Tina shouted from her sofa. "I can't wait to tell her she was on TV."

"I think she already knows," Clarence replied with a chuckle.

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah because she was just interviewed by a TV reporter. Never mind."

Clarence leaned over and kissed her lovingly on her temples. She responded by putting her head on his shoulders. He put his arm around her and she moved in closer while they watched.

**~O~**

Archie had to know why Henry still believed in the curse. At first Henry couldn't provide an answer, but after some prodding the boy was able to convey that he believed there had to be more than just this. He wanted proof, but found nothing.

"That's not true," Dr. Hopper replied. "You found me." Archie finally remembered what kind of person he had always wanted to be. "I just have to listen harder."

A few moments later dirt began to fall on them. When Henry and Archie looked up, a flashlight beam shined on them. It was Emma. When she reached the unsteady lift, she called up to Billy through a shoulder mounted walkie-talkie. "Okay, that's enough."

An escape door on the top of the elevator opened and Archie lifted the boy up to Emma. She took him in her arms and he wrapped himself around her. But the movements of Archie and Henry caused the elevator to shift and lose its hold. It shuddered and bounced around.

"I'm sorry!" Emma cried.

"It's okay," Dr. Hopper replied. He had found himself and was at peace. A second later the elevator broke free and crashed down into the floor of the mine shaft.

Neither Emma nor Henry could watch the horror. But Emma did look, she felt something tugging at her. There was Archie Hopper clinging to his umbrella. He had managed to slip its hook shaped handle through a carabiner on her harness just before the elevator collapsed.

**~O~**

"I see something. Yes, I see something," Desiree yelled into her microphone. "Yes, it's Emma Swan. AND THERE'S HENRY MILLS. The mayor's little boy who was trapped. And here comes the ecstatic mother."

Regina embraced her son so tightly. The people who had gathered applauded and cheered the wonderful end of this terrible day.

"Ooh, isn't that sweet," Desiree continued. "Oh wait. Yes, Doctor Hopper made it out just fine. Oh this is a happy day for the townsfolk of Storybrooke. What could have been a disaster has turned into triumph. Hopelessness gave way to ingenuity and determination. Sadness replaced by happiness. No one will ever forget where they were when that little boy emerged unharmed from the mine."

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

It was late at night, Jiminy's parents were asleep. With no conscience to bother them they always slept well. Not Jiminy. His conscience couldn't let him sleep knowing what horrors he had committed today. But he felt that he could make things right again. He made a wish on a star, calling out to The Blue Fairy.

"You don't have to wish so loud," The Blue Fairy replied. Alas, she could not undo the spell. The boy's parents were gone and no magic could undo death. Jiminy still felt responsible and wanted to help, but he didn't know how to get away from his parents. He thought this was all he could be.

"What if you could be the person you always wanted?" she asked him. Jiminy listened and heard crickets. That was what he wanted. To be free like them. With a wave of her wand Jiminy became a cricket. He was well dressed and sported an umbrella. That orphaned boy was going to face many daunting challenges and would need a conscience and a guide. Jiminy would be that guide, The Blue Fairy told him.

"How will I find him?" Jiminy chirped. "What's his name?"

The Blue Fairy replied, "The boy's name is Geppetto."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The instant Henry was safe Regina reverted back to her old ways. "Deputy," she told Emma, "You can clear the crowd away." This was how Regina intended to keep Emma away from her son.

A moment later Dr. Hopper confronted Mayor Mills. He was going to treat Henry as he saw fit according to his professional ethics and his conscience. Regina, however, wouldn't stand for it. She was determined to get her way. Archie reminded her that if she were to ever get into a custody battle with Emma, and that was a good possibility, the court would bring in expert testimony to determine who is a fit parent. Often that expert testimony was the person who treated the child.

This sent a chill down Regina's spine.

"You can try and do your worst," he told her. "But I will always do my best."

**~O~**

The celebration at the old mine lasted well into the night. Friends talked and shared their feelings. Marco and Archie talked extensively. So much in fact that Emma thought Marco was Archie's father.

"No, they're just friends," Henry informed her. Seconds later Henry began to hear crickets. A sound he had never heard in Storybrooke. "See, things are changing."

Elsewhere in Storybrooke, Mary Margaret resigned as a volunteer at the hospital, unable to bear the pain of being so close to David, the man she loved so dearly, but could not have.

Mr. Gold closed up shop. Inside his store were two marionette puppets. The very same ones that had once been Geppetto's mother and father before they accidentally drank the potion intended for Jiminy's parents.

Back at the mine, someone had bought a few cases of beer to celebrate Henry and Archie's rescue. Jo, the exterminator, was handing out bottles and cans to whomever wanted one.

Ruby, the waitress at Granny's Diner, noticed Claire staring wistfully at someone. A man in coveralls. He was tall, spoke with a refined British accent and had salt and pepper hair.

"He looks nice, doesn't he?" Ruby asked Claire.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Hartley is quite a special man," she answered. "He pulled me out of a bind; twice already."

"But he hasn't noticed you, huh?"

Claire sighed. "Not really. I think he tried to ask me out once, but that was years ago. He's moved on since then."

"Well, what's to stop you from asking him out?" Ruby suggested.

"Oh, I couldn't do that."

"You can do it, Claire."

"No, no I can't. I mean just look at me. I'm almost fifty, I dress in work clothes. I look old and I feel old."

"Well the right set of clothes will make you feel young and sexy all over again," Ruby told her. "Come by my place tomorrow and I'll MILF you up. It'll blow his mind."

"What? Ruby, no!"

"Trust me, I'll have you in clothes so seductive he'll be trying get you out of them faster than you could get into them."

"I don't want a one night stand," Claire said. "I want a deep, loving and committed relationship like what I had with Charlie."

"Live a little," Ruby said emphatically. "Nothing is wrong with having some random guy you just met tear your clothes off and leave you begging for more. Oh hey, watch this. I sent a friend of mine over there."

"You did what?!"

"If this doesn't get you to talk to him then you are not human."

A woman happened by and "accidentally" dropped something at Hartley's feet. Hartley, ever the chivalrous man bent over to pick it up.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad," Claire said.

"Look, look, look," Ruby pleaded.

"No, I'm not going to look." She looked. "_Oh my gosh_. That man has a butt that just won't quit."

"See. Told ya."

"Do you really think I can pull off being a… a…?"

"… A hot mom he can't resist? Absolutely. I can make you into his perfect fantasy woman," Ruby boasted.

Claire sighed. "No, I can't do that. Sorry, Ruby. What I had with Charlie was so wonderful. Trust me, once you've been in a perfect marriage like that, nothing else will ever come close."

"Okay, suit yourself. I'm going to go over there and talk to Billy. Something about him just drives me wild."

Claire just lowered her head. She couldn't even get up the strength of will to ask a man out on a date. Her heart ached with the loss of Charlie. It also ached from the emptiness. She sat in the bed of her truck, surrounded by the tools of her trade and was wondering if she could ever find love again.

"Hello, would you like a drink?" a suave and refined British voice asked.

She looked over. It was Hartley. He was holding two bottles of beer in his hand. She was startled by his presence. Claire wanted to say something like "Hi" or "Yes, I would love one." But she felt just like a frumpy, teenaged wallflower who had just been asked out to the prom by the hunky star quarterback. So instead she blurted out a big, goofy laugh that sound liked "Bwuh huh huh huh!"

It was the worst sound she could have made. Claire slapped he hands over her mouth. She was totally mortified. Yet, he just smiled as if he thought it was the cutest thing in the world.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "Uh, yes. I would love some. Beer that is."

Hartley handed her one of the bottles and then very spritely leapt into her truck bed. "Shall we? To Henry's successful rescue?"

"Yes, to Henry and Dr. Hopper," she replied. They clinked their bottles together and then took a couple of swigs.

"May I?" he asked, motioning to the truck bed. He was politely asking her if he could sit with her.

"Oh, of course," she said with a smile. Claire looked over at Ruby, who was stretched out across the hood of the tow truck while she conversed with Billy. Her tight fitting pants and high heels making her look seductive and tempting. "Thanks, Ruby," Claire murmured, a smile on her face. She sat down next to her handsome visitor and they began to talk and enjoy themselves, sipping the beer from the brown bottles they kept in hand at all times.

**~O~**

Behind the tow truck, Regina hid from the onlookers and celebrators. She hovered over the mine shaft from which Henry had emerged earlier that day, safe and unharmed. The grate had been returned to its place immediately after the rescue. Regina removed the piece of glass debris from her coat pocket. She observed it carefully, remembering what it was. She tossed the piece to the ground where it fell through the grating and tumbled down the long shaft until it hit the bottom of the mine. It landed right next to what Henry had seen reflecting in his flashlight beam. The piece of glass debris was Henry's proof. A shard of Snow White's glass coffin, which now lay hidden forever in bowels of the mine.

**~O~**

"Oh would you excuse me for just a moment, Hartley?" Claire asked.

"Yes, of course," he answered pleasantly.

Regina was walking by. "Madam Mayor," she called out to her.

"Yes, Mrs. Kensington, what is it?" Regina sounded somewhat annoyed.

"My apologies, but you said yesterday the city intended to develop this area," Claire prefaced. "Is that something you'll be taking bids on?"

"I'm sorry, Claire, that work will be done entirely by city crews," Regina answered with a smile.

"Oh, okay, thank you," Claire replied, embarrassed from being rebuffed that way. Especially in front of Hartley.

"What about going to Town Hall?" Hartley suggested. "The city has always listed postings for work for which they want to receive bids. I'm sure there is something there you could do."

"Yes, why don't you try that," Regina answered. "In fact, the hall itself needs a little work done. I'm sure if you were to submit your bid tomorrow I could get the town council to accept your submission without question."

"You couldn't find a finer person to do that work, Madam Mayor," Hartley enthused.

"Good, well then I'll be looking for your submission," Regina said with an angry smile. "The cutoff date is the end of the week. Good evening."

Regina walked off, practically stormed off was more like it. Claire didn't seem to notice. "Why is it every time I need a knight in shining armor you show up?"

"Just lucky I guess," he answered with a smile.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you for taking me to the hospital. Thank you for clearing my name with the people of this city. And thank you for suggesting the Town Hall."

"It's my pleasure," he said. "Not to seem forward, but would you like to go on a date with me?"

The smile on her face melted away. Now she seemed sad, confused and in pain.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I just…"

"No, it's me," Claire admitted. "It has been eight years since Charlie died. He was such a great and loving husband, always putting us before his own needs. Now whenever I even think about dating another man I feel like…, well like I'm cheating on him. It makes me sick to my stomach. I honestly don't think I could ever replace him."

Claire sunk back down into the truck bed. Hartley again sat next to her. "Believe it or not, I can sympathize. Charlie was a rare breed. He was a great friend to me. Always willing to offer useful advice, to teach or to listen or just to have a beer with and enjoy the game. When he passed I felt like I had lost a brother."

"Yeah, that was Charlie. He always had the biggest heart," she said.

"I understand your apprehension," he told her. "But if you ever change your mind…," he said handing her a business card with his home address written on the back.

She smiled at him. "Thank you." Hartley leapt out of the truck bed as easily as he had jumped in. He took his beer from Claire, bid is goodbyes and strolled back to his friends.

Claire took a deep swig of the beer and then put the bottle to her head. The alcohol acted like a tonic for her pain. She had been enjoying Hartley's company immensely. At least until he asked her out. Then that twisting sensation returned to her stomach. _Why did Charlie have to be such a good husband?_ she asked herself. Why did she have to be so lonely?

* * *

**Thanks to everyone for making this story such a success. After recently hitting 3000 views, the story is now at 3400 views. You are all amazing. **


	29. Chapter 29

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 5, Chapter 5**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"What are you two doing?" Valerie asked before announcing her presence in the kitchen.

Instantly Tina shut the laptop cover. "Nothing. We were just looking at… uh… art… art supplies."

"Yeah, art supplies," Clarence agreed.

Valerie didn't buy one word of it. "Uh huh. Art supplies in nasty positions? You two aren't looking at sex stuff, are you?"

"Don't tell your mother, Val," Clarence said. "We were just studying for one of Tina's classes."

Valerie quirked a suspicious eyebrow. "She doesn't have Sex Ed this year."

"How would you know?" Tina asked.

"Because I had the same classes on the same schedule as you and as I recall Sex Ed was taught when I was fourteen, not sixteen," Valerie said.

"Oh, right," Tina replied. "Please don't tell Mom what we're doing. Please?"

"Hey, if you want to go and get yourself knocked up and preggers, why should I care," Val responded.

"I'm not going to get pregnant!" Tina shouted. "Oops."

"Yeah, 'oops' is right," Val said. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I'm just loving the fact that you aren't the perfect little angel Mom always says you are. She's always comparing me to you. You're her paragon of virtue and sweetness. I'm her biggest disappointment for not being you. I wish Dad were still alive. He always understood me. Mom doesn't even try."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Tina replied.

Valerie just stood there, utterly perplexed. "Wait, what?"

"She doesn't understand me, either." Tina explained how she felt about her mother using her as a crutch when times got too stressful, how it made her feel and why she thought it was necessary to start growing up. "I feel like I'm being smothered, stunted. I want to be an adult. I'm a person not a support beam."

"You want what I want, little sister," Val replied. "You want out of this hell hole. Sometimes I feel like the Chief at the end of _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_. Smash the window and run."

"Oh great, you just spoiled the ending for me," Tina complained. "Thanks a lot."

Clarence gave her a strange look.

"I've been wanting to watch that film, but Mom won't let me," Tina complained. "I'm not allowed to view any movie with a PG-13 rating or above."

"Don't worry, Sis, I didn't spoil anything," Valerie said. "_One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ is one of those movies where the journey is more important than the destination."

Valerie went to the fridge and grabbed some fruit. "By the way, where is Mom?"

"She's at the old mine just outside of town," Tina replied. "The Mayor's son and Dr. Hopper got trapped down there. That new woman in town, Emma something got them out. Mom went to help."

"Whoa, I spend one day mowing lawns and I miss all the good stuff," Valerie said. "Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Promise you won't tell!" Tina pleaded.

"Me? Tell her? Why should I? First, Mom would never believe me. Second, when she finds out, and she will eventually find out, her head will explode. She won't be able to reconcile your actions and her image of you. Her head will explode and I am going to enjoy watching every minute of it. Have fun having your 'revenge sex' against Mom."

The swinging door to the kitchen swept back and forth briefly after Valerie's exit. Tina's mind seemed to be in a similar state. She had been so dead set on doing this to prove she was growing up that it never occurred to her she might be seeking revenge instead. Now her mind was swinging back and forth between conviction and doubt. She stared at the closed laptop for a moment.

"Am I doing this for the right reasons?" she asked her beau.

"I can't answer that," Clarence replied. "Only you can, but if it is for all the wrong reasons you'll only be hurting yourself."

Tina sighed. That wasn't the answer she was looking for. _Why did men have to be so indecisive?_

"I'm not in your head to know the precise reasons," he continued. "But from what you've told me, it does sound like you're more focused on your mother seeing you as a child rather than on you wanting to grow up."

This did seem to give her some clarity, but she would have to give it considerably more thought. "Why don't we wait until _I know _what _I want_?"

Clarence reached over and kissed the lovely girl on the forehead. "Okay. It's good you're thinking this through, Tina. I'm proud of you."

**~O~**

When Claire arrived home late, she had the slightest smell of beer on her. And a more overpowering odor of dirt and dust from the mine. She checked on her two girls, both were sound asleep in their beds. It hurt Claire that she had missed another bed time story with Tina. She was already stepping up to help earn money for the family. They stay little only so long.

Stepping into her bedroom, Claire turned on the water for a quick shower. While disrobing she noticed a pile of money and receipts. They were from the lawns Valerie had cut today. She smiled. _Thank goodness she's coming around_, Claire thought happily.

By the time she was ready for bed Mrs. Kensington was too tired to stay awake. Yet she couldn't sleep. The invitation by Hartley to go on a date was a tantalizing one. But her heart still belonged to Charlie. How could she just push him aside like nothing happened? _Something did happen, Claire_, she told herself. _He died. Remember?_

Eight years ago Charlie was driving home late. He had stopped to buy a few little things for his "best girls." During the drive, he called home to let Claire know where he was and to expect him. He never arrived. A phone call from the hospital sent her into a frenzy of crying and panic. Charlie had a massive heart attack on the drive home and collapsed in the vehicle. Her husband would die a few hours later at the hospital, his wife and two girls by his side.

"Why can't I just move on?" she grumbled. After a frustrating hour or so of rolling and turning in the bed, she finally managed to fall asleep. Claire remembered, through her dreams, a vivid memory of when Charlie was alive. He would walk through the front door and cheerfully announce "Where are my best girls?" and waited for all three to run up and into his arms for a giant bear hug.

Then he would greet each individually, starting with the youngest. "Hi, Munchkin," he would say to Tina.

"Hi, Daddy," the little one replied cheerily.

Charlie would give her a hug and a kiss, all the while sneaking her a small box of chocolates. Tina squealed and darted off to enjoy her treat.

He moved to Valerie, "How's my future pilot?"

"Ready for takeoff," she said. Again, another hug and kiss.

"Here, I picked this out just for you." Charlie handed her a model airplane kit to build.

"Alright! Thanks, Dad!"

Valerie hugged him in gratitude, then went to her room to start working on it.

"What nothing for me," Claire playfully complained.

"I saved this for my favorite love." Charlie reached into his chest pocket and brought out two tickets to a local production of _The Music Man_. A musical Claire adored.

"How did you get these?!" It was her moment to have a cheery smile on her face. "I thought it was sold out."

"I know someone."

"You always know someone," she replied.

"Anything for you," Charlie said. "You are my queen."

"And don't you forget it," Claire answered.

"You're supposed to say I'm your hero," Charlie told her.

"HA! Not in this lifetime, buster." Then she kissed him.

**~O~**

The alarm sounded, waking Claire to a new morning. The bright sunbeam shot through her window, bathing her room in a warm and yellow light. It should have been a cheerful moment for her. Several years ago when Charlie was still alive it was. She woke up every day now in an empty bed. The other side perpetually cold. As always, while getting ready Claire opened a bottle of cologne. It was Charlie's favorite.

Every day after work he would come home, greet his family and then go upstairs to shower. Afterwards, he would apply a little bit of the cologne. Claire could smell the enticing aroma whenever he wrapped his arms around her, which was often. Charlie liked touching and hugging his wife. She liked it, too. It formed and perpetuated a strong bong between them. One of love, affection and intimacy.

Every night when they went to bed, that was the scent she inhaled as she drifted off to sleep. She was greeted by it each morning, as well. Ever since his passing Claire opened that bottle to take a tiny whiff. It brought back so many wonderful memories.

Her dream last night had upset her, though. As much as she adored Charlie, whenever he said "You are my queen" she never once reciprocated with "You're my hero." And whenever he asked, she always replied with "Not in this lifetime." How was she to know that his "lifetime" would be so short?

Then she remembered Hartley. Last night he asked her out on a date. She refused him. She felt that to say "yes" would betray Charlie. She would be cheating on him. But he was long gone. Passed away from a heart attack. Her bed was always cold from that day forward. Someone like Hartley could fill it and make each morning warm and wonderful again.

But Charlie was still there in that bed. Not physically, but through her memories. Some mornings Claire believed that she could still whiff that elegant cologne. Yet all she had were memories now. She clung to them the way a drowning person clings to driftwood.

_Am I drowning?_ Claire asked herself. She hardly had time to answer.

The sound of shattering glass pulled her back into reality. She looked down and saw that the glass bottle of cologne had slipped from her fingers and smashed into the basin of her sink.

"NO! No, no, no, no…." she pleaded. It was too late. The last drops of the fragrance had slipped down the drain and into the sewers. The once heady aroma was now overwhelming and smothering. Claire tried to save some of the liquid by blotting it with tissue, but all she could save were the shards of the broken bottle. With no other choice, Claire turned on the water and flushed the remaining shards down the drain. Her newest memory of Charlie was of more loss.

The bottle and the cologne were replaceable. But this bottle she had bought for him just days before he passed away. Her last physical connection to Charlie was gone. That was not replaceable.

Without it she felt lost.

**~O~**

At the end of the workday, Claire drove home. Tina was with Clarence again studying and Valerie drove around town on her bike to get away and think, something Dr. Hopper said she needed. The counseling sessions she and Val were undergoing seemed to be helping. Yet none of this new stability could undo the tempest of emotions she was feeling right now. Hartley was exactly the man she wanted in her life, but she could not set aside her attachment to Charlie.

During the drive she passed one of the local junior high schools. Its mascot was a knight in shining armor. It reminded Claire of the story she had read to Tina the other night. The one with the heroic knight that freed a princess. Their love was ill fated, though. She found someone new to love, but he didn't. He could not let go of his feelings for the princess. He never could make room in his heart to love another the way he loved that princess.

She felt so lucky to have met Charlie. They were perfect for each other, even though at first it seemed like they were entirely incompatible. Just like the princess and the knight. She was amazed at how things can turnout. Same situation, different results. She was the princess. Charlie was the heroic knight, even if his shiny armor was little more than coveralls caked in dirt and grease.

Then that sour feeling in her stomach hit again.

_"You were supposed to say I'm your hero."_

_"Not in this lifetime, buster."_

That exchange kept replying in her head. Charlie always made this look so easy. She never appreciated how hard he worked, the sacrifices he made or the time he spent away from his family just to make sure they had everything they needed and much of what they wanted.

Claire was barely holding on where Charlie succeed effortlessly. Or at least he made it look effortless.

_Was that it?_ She asked. _Is that what is holding me back?_

Claire turned around and headed for the town's cemetery. She bought a few flowers and set them at Charlie's headstone. It was a wide stone intended to for two people. A husband and wife. They both expected to grow old together when they bought this double sized plot.

What if she took another man? Then what?

It seemed so strange that this spot was the mirror opposite of her bed. For each, one side was empty. His side on the bed, her side in the burial plot. Both incomplete. Both waiting for…, for what?

For someone to fill the void. If she filled the emptiness of her bed with another man, then would this spot next to Charlie go empty forever? He had such a big heart. The man loved without condition. Was it betrayal to be with another man? Charlie had done so much for her, Tina and Valerie.

Her eyes swelled with tears. Her mouth and lips trembled with pain, regret and fear. "I'm so sorry," she told his gravestone. Claire began to open up to the headstone about her feelings for Hartley. She cried as she spoke to her dead husband.

"I'm so alone now," she said. "I miss you so very much. Hartley is a good man. He is a lot like you. Loving, giving and willing to sacrifice for others."

She stopped, as if waiting for him to reply.

"The girls need a father figure around the house now more than ever," she continued. "All they have are memories. Memories that are eight years old. They need someone to give them the guidance and counseling they are going to need as they become adults."

Again, Claire stopped talking, waiting for her husband to answer.

"You did so much for us, Charlie," Claire began to cry even harder. "I never said this to you before and I wish I had. You were always my hero."

**~O~**

Leaving the cemetery Claire took one last look at the double sized plot where her husband lay. She wiped away a few tears before saying, "Goodbye, my love."

This time she felt it deeply. Her confession and catharsis left her feeling better now. She bore many burdens since Charlie's death. Now it felt like one of them had been removed.

Driving home she kept thinking about Hartley and his offer. Claire took her phone and dialed the number. After two rings someone picked up.

"Hello?" a man's voice answered.

"Hello, Hartley? This is Claire. Listen, I was thinking about what you…" she took a deep breath. "I would like to go out on a date with you."

* * *

**Okay, this brings a close to events related to Episode 5. **

**Yay, this entry has eclipsed the 100 review mark. My first story to ever do that. Thank you!**

**Remember folks, this story will soon be in the crossover section. **

**I hope you are enjoying this story. Please R&amp;R.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 6, Chapter 1**

* * *

The events following occur before during and after the sixth episode of season 1 titled "The Shepherd."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

A garbage truck rolled up to the curb. One man grabbed a large, brown trash canister and pulled it over to the side of the vehicle. He flipped its lid over, turned it around and slung it up against a lifting arm with a special hook. The man stepped away, pressed a switch and the arm yanked the canister into the air and over the top of the truck. The arm jostled back and forth, emptying the contents of the can before setting the canister back on the ground. The garbage man pulled aside the large, brown can and put it back against the curb where he found it.

The entire sequence took only a handful of seconds to complete. The truck moved forward a few feet to the next brown garbage can and the entire sequence occurred a second time. Then, at the next trash can, for a third time. This process continued to the end of the block where the truck, driven by another man, continued on to the next block where the two man team systematically emptied out every garbage can on one side in only a couple of minutes.

This job was boring for the two men who operated the vehicle. Despite working in close proximity, they were isolated from each other. One in the cab driving the vehicle, the other at its side operating the arm that collected the trash. They resolved this by utilizing Bluetooth earpieces on their phones to maintain a running conversation during their early morning collection routine.

"Did you see that game last night?" Blake, the vehicle driver asked his partner. Blake was a young man, a bit shorter than his colleague. At age 22 he was slim, energetic, a health food nut and driven by a need to have fun while still young. After hours he could usually be found hanging out with the gang from the post office playing basketball, mini golf or Xbox video games. Unless there was an important game on television. Blake was a fan of the Celtics, Red Sox and Patriots. All three of these major sports franchises played in Boston.

"Yup, that was awesome," Chester, the arm operator replied. "The Celtics are looking good. Think they might win another title?"

"Would be nice," Blake replied. "But they have to get past LeBron and his new buddies in Miami."

"I cannot stand that guy," Chester said. "He actually aired an entire special about himself on ESPN just so he could announce to the whole world that he was leaving Cleveland to go to Miami. Talk about an egomaniac."

"Wish we had gotten him," Blake replied.

"Oh please, that jerk would have been toxic to the Celtics." Chester heard what sounded like chewing in his headset. "Hey, what are you doing? Eating?"

"Yeah, sure. Want some?"

"Dude, that is all you do in there. Eat and drive."

"So? I'm no different than you," Blake answered. "When you drive you sit in here and nibble on those cheese crackers all day."

"That's totally different," Chester replied, slinging another trash can into place and running the arm.

"No it's not," Blake retorted. "We both eat while driving."

"Yes it is. You eat that organic health food crap," Chester complained. "You stuff your face with grapes, trail mix and apple chips."

"Hey, at least the cab isn't filled with cheese dust when I'm done driving," Blake commented.

"No, it's got raisins in between the cushions and it smells like low calorie, diet water."

"What the hell is low calorie…? That's just plain old water. Quit making stuff up," Blake sputtered.

"It's that organic bottle juice crap you're always swilling," Chester replied. "Try something like soda once in a while."

"Hey, my body is a temple," Blake answered. "And here comes the high priestess."

"Oh no, not this again," Chester groaned, slinging more trash cans for the arm to dump in the truck.

"Yup, there she is," Blake salivated. "The girl of my dreams."

The truck passed by the Kensington residence. In the front yard was Tina Kensington and her sister, whatshername. "Oh man, I think I'm in love," Blake sighed into his Bluetooth earpiece.

"Uh, you do know she is underage," Chester told him. "You'll be in jail for a very long time with a bunch of large, angry men who'll be 'loving' you on a regular basis."

"According to Wikipedia, the age of consent in Maine is sixteen," Blake told him. "She is as legal as you and me."

"I think her mother would kill you," Chester replied.

"Hey, I'm not trying to seduce her," Blake answered back. "I want to marry that girl."

"Have you asked her out on a date yet?" Chester asked.

"No, I'm just waiting for the right time," Blake said with a sigh.

"Preferably when she graduates high school," Chester replied. "Or better yet, college."

"At least I'm not dating a psycho," Blake answered. "Speaking of which, how is your girlfriend?"

Chester was the opposite of Blake in many ways. A few years older at 30, Chester was more mature. He wasn't as lean as Blake and carried a couple of extra pounds, but made up for it with plenty of muscle. He also preferred to date within his own age range. Chester was in a steady relationship with the lovely Latina exterminator, Jo. They had been happily dating for more than two years now. Their relationship was stable and strong. Jo and Chester lived in the same neighborhood. They both spent most of their free time together. A typical evening together involved cooking dinner, watching a good movie, or going dancing or just sitting at the wharf and talking.

"Jo and I are taking it slow," Chester said as he slung the Kensington's trash receptacle into place for the arm to grab and empty. "We want a deep and meaningful relationship."

"Yeah, you want a deep and meaningful night in the sack," Blake interpreted. "Latinas are known for being a handful in the bedroom."

"Our relationship isn't there yet, you pervert," Chester answered. "Love making shouldn't exist in a vacuum. It should deepen the bond between two people who are already madly in love."

"Well she certainly is mad, alright," Blake answered sarcastically. "As I recall, she was chasing you around the house last week because you came home late."

"She is protective of her relationship."

"Oh, sure, Chet. You are such a coward" Blake said.

"I'm the coward? Uh, who here has an actual girlfriend, and not some fantasy he is too afraid to ask out on a date?"

"That sounds like a challenge," Blake replied.

"I dare you to ask her out," Chet stated.

"Fortunately for me, I came prepared." Blake waved at Tina as he did every time he saw her from his truck. Then he motioned for her to come over. The young girl jogged out to his truck. "Hi! How are you today?"

"I'm great, how are you?"

"I feel awesome now that I've had a chance to talk to you," Blake said. Tina blushed. "Here I brought something for you."

Blake handed Tina bag. "Mini muffins?"

"Pumpernickel mini muffins," Blake declared. "Homemade, all natural, organic and the best muffins you will ever taste."

Tina tried one. Her face brightened instantly. "These are great. Thanks!"

"You're welcome. Uh oh, it looks like your mother is calling you."

Tina looked back and noticed that her mother was indeed calling out to her. She was standing in front of the open truck door and looked a bit miffed. "I better go before she loses her temper. Thanks again for the muffins."

Tina ran back across the street and jumped into the truck. Her mother handed Tina her book bag. Blake just sat there, watching. "Okay, guy, we had better get going before we get fired."

"Huh? Oh yeah."

"I heard your conversation," Chester said over the earpiece. "I didn't hear you asking her for a date."

"Don't worry, it'll happen," Blake answered. "I'm just sweet talking her before I ask her out."

"Uh huh." Chester then feigned coughing, masking the word "coward" with each cough.

"Screw you," Blake replied.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

King Midas was most impressed. Prince James, the son of King George, had slain the massive brute, a giant of a man in single combat. James' training, experience and cunning came in handy when he finally impaled the large man with his sword. Midas was in need of a champion. His land was beset by a dragon and every knight who dared to try and stop it had been killed. King George had his own problem. He was running out of gold and needed Midas to fill his coffers. James was going to be the catalyst.

The two kings, satisfied with the demonstration retired to the castle to discuss terms of the agreement. However, before this Midas offered a down payment. One of Midas' assistants stepped up to remove the king's special glove, but he was a bit careless.

"Careful," Midas told him. "Remember what happened to Frederick."

With the glove removed, his hand shimmered with magic. He touched the sword that James used to slay his opponent and it instantly turned to gold. Prince James was pleased that he had been able to do this for his father. His knights were grateful to have him as their prince. James, however, reminded them that the task was not yet done.

Indeed it wasn't, for seconds later James was impaled through the heart and was dead instantly. The giant which James had killed was not actually dead. Not yet. He regained consciousness enough to kill his opponent before succumbing to his wounds.

**~O~**

King George mourned the death of his son, but could not allow himself to weep long. If Midas found out that James had perished, the deal that had been struck between them would be void. George had called for help. It arrived in the form of The Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin.

King George's beloved wife could not bear a child. So they "adopted." Rumpelstiltskin had brokered a deal with a couple to buy one of their two boys. Twins. James was raised as George's son. In the intervening years, the queen had perished. King George had no hope except for the aide of The Dark One's penchant for making deals. The king, however, was not aware of the twin brother. Not until he made a new deal with The Dark One. In exchange for the location of the fairy godmother who was patron to the king, Rumpelstiltskin arranged to "adopt" the twin brother. David.

**~O~**

David was born a shepherd. He chased and outwitted a lamb, guiding it into the pen with the other sheep.

"Wasn't expecting that, were you?" he said, congratulating himself. His mother arrived home from the market. The grain merchant had a daughter who was ready for marriage, she told him, and her dowry was substantial enough to save their ailing farm.

David, however, maintained that he would marry for love, not money or convenience. His mother, though, insisted that he be practical. All of this talk ended as soon as Rumpelstiltskin appeared. Under the terms of the original deal, David could not be told of James, his twin brother. This news was a shock to David. Both that he had a twin and that his parents had sold James to this vile looking creature.

Even though the sale of James to the king saved the farm, David's mother insisted that her husband regretted the decision ever since and died with that regret. Now the farm was in need of another miracle. Initially, David didn't want to go through with this. If he accepted the agreement, though, his mother would be financially secure for the rest of her life and the farm would be safe. David ultimately agreed for her sake.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"I said yes."

"You what?"

"I said yes!" Claire repeated, both excited and anxious. She was speaking with Granny and Ruby. The three women were standing at the counter. Claire had come in to have lunch with her girls, but she had to tell someone the good news.

"That's great!" Ruby said, energized that her plan had worked.

"Where will you two be going?" Granny asked.

"Um…, I was thinking we could have coffee here and talk for a while," Claire said rather sheepishly, almost as if asking permission.

"After the dinner rush it gets awfully quiet in here," the restaurateur hinted. "A good time to sit and talk."

"Thanks, Granny," Claire answered. "I haven't dated in such a long time. I'm pretty rusty."

"You'll be fine. Just be yourself," Granny told Claire.

"Yeah, and if you need an outfit, I'll be glad to offer my advice," Ruby added.

Ruby's grandmother just scowled at her. "Your choice," Ruby amended.

"Thanks to both of you." Claire went back to her booth where was seated her two girls. She had said nothing to them about her upcoming foray back into the world of courtship. Why get their hopes up when it was still new and uncertain. Or maybe she was afraid of what they would say to her.

Moments later Kathryn Nolan entered the diner. She spoke with a couple of others in the restaurant before walking up to Claire.

"Hi, Mrs. Kensington, my husband David is coming home from the hospital at the end of this week," she said.

"Oh, that's wonderful," Claire answered with a cheery smile. "Congratulations. I'm so happy you two found each other again."

"Thank you, Claire. I'll be hosting a Welcome Home party for him, do you think you could attend?"

Claire seemed a little confused at first. She and Kathryn weren't exactly friends. Claire would fix her house when something broke or mowed the lawn and trimmed trees and shrubs when needed. But Kathryn insisted that she come. "You've so much to keep that home in good repair. And having another familiar face around might help David jog his memory."

"Memory?" Claire asked. "Is he having problems remembering?"

Kathryn explained that David was suffering from amnesia. He couldn't remember anything from before his accident. Mrs. Nolan was hosting the event not just to celebrate his return, but to put as many familiar faces in front of David in the hopes of triggering memories and breaking through the amnesia.

"He knew you pretty well before his accident," Kathryn said. "Anytime he had a problem he couldn't fix, you or Charlie were the ones he called first for assistance."

"Of course, I'll be there, Kathryn. Anything to help out a friend."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Wow! I cannot believe that my little story has reached more than 4000 views. Awesome! Thank you, to everyone.**

**Okay, so who are Blake and Chester? Well, I've left plenty of hints. Any guesses?**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 6, Chapter 2**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Romano-British Period on the Mainland)

The young queen of Pixie Hollow, Clarion, recently crowned, sat alone in the garden where the gravestones of her parents stood. She stared at the stones wondering how they dealt with so many problems. Both of her parents lost their lives in service to Pixie Hollow. Now she felt alone and isolated.

"What am I to do?" she asked them. "So much has gone wrong, my subjects dislike me and they have no trust in the crown. Even the ministers look at me with suspicion."

The head stones were silent. They could say or do nothing to alleviate her pain and suffering.

"Mother, you told me that love is weakness," Clarion said, repeating one of the last things her mother said before death. "I try to live by that ideal, but I do not understand how it can be a weakness. You loved father so much. You loved Pixie Hollow and the fairies like they were your own children. It seems as though love gives us strength."

Silence again. Clarion wished that her parents could speak to her. That she could bring them back from the dead. She was not prepared for this. Not yet. The young queen felt overwhelmed by the difficult situation into which she had been thrust. The hollow had been devastated by pirates. Their accumulated treasury was gone and numerous artifacts of fairy magic had been taken. The Home Tree was destroyed.

Before, all the fairies of Pixie Hollow lived in the giant tree. Now they were forced to look elsewhere. Only the Pixie Dust Tree had been spared simply because whatever the pirates wanted was somewhere else. But most devastating, so many fairies had died defending their home. Recovery was taking time. Perhaps too much time. Clarion tried to remain cool, aloof and dispassionate, but it made her subjects think she did not care.

She did care. Her heart broke when she visited the large hole in the ground where The Home Tree once stood. She desperately fought back tears when visiting the summer gardens. Flowers had been stomped by the invaders. Wings could be seen sticking out of the ground. Garden and scout fairies had been stepped on, crushed like bugs under the boots of the merciless pirates.

But that wasn't the only place. Tinker fairies were given the horrid task of digging up the crushed bodies of their peers. Broken wings fluttering in the breeze acted as makeshift markers. These lost fairies had given their last full measure for their homeland. Clarion was resented for not being more emotional. She was called unfeeling and coldhearted. If she cried and blubbered like a human child would they respect her? Or would they only see her as weak and incapable of leading them?

This was the paradox which left young Queen Clarion so confused. She had no one to talk to, no one from whom to seek advice. No one to whom she could bare her soul and release the pain she kept pent up inside her. What she need was a shoulder to cry on. There was her good friend Mary, a member of the tinker guild. Clarion had not yet come to trust her enough for something as personal as this. She needed a parent, or a peer. She had neither.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire and Hartley had their coffee date at Granny's Diner. They talked well into the night. The subject varied as the time passed. Surprisingly, very little was spoken about Charlie. Claire made it a point not to bring him up. She didn't want to give the impression of still being overly attached. It might scare this good man away. Letting go of Charlie was not something she could do in one day. Tonight, though, was a positive first step in moving on.

Granny kept her distance, but still acted like a watchful chaperone. She would bring coffee at intervals, offered dessert at opportune times and collected empty cups and plates. Evening turned into night, but Claire and Hartley were still at their table chatting away. Claire's hands, which sat on the table were held every so delicately by Hartley at this time.

She could sympathize with Claire. Granny, a widow with a granddaughter to raise, could see a younger version of herself in Mrs. Kensington. Sometimes she wished that a handsome man would come into her life the way Hartley had come into Claire's. It was all just a pipe dream, so she lived vicariously through her friend at the table. Ruby turned the neon "OPEN" sign off and locked the doors.

Granny didn't have the heart to ask Claire and Hartley to leave just yet. So she let them have the room for a few minutes more.

She and her staff cleaned up and put away vessels, plates, pots and pans even as Claire and her date kept talking, oblivious to the fact that the restaurant had closed long ago. At one point, Granny even turned on a radio, selecting a station that played slow, romantic music. Claire, a music lover, recognized the song and a smile came across her face. Hartley, ever the romantic, asked if she would like to dance.

The two stood from their table. Hartley put his arm around her waist and took her hand in his. Claire responded in kind and put her hand on his shoulder. Soon, they were dancing to the gentle sounds of The Glenn Miller Orchestra.

"Sorry, folks," Granny finally said. "But it's late and I have to close up." Claire and Hartley looked around and realized that the diner had been locked up for the night a good while ago.

"We're so sorry to keep you," Claire apologized.

"Think nothing of it," Granny answered with a smile. "Now you two young kids run along and have a good evening."

Claire smiled, she hadn't been called "young" or a "kid" in ages. After such a wonderful coffee date, it made her feel all giddy inside.

Hartley drove Claire to her home. He walked her to the doorway. "I enjoyed this evening with you," he said.

"So did I," Claire answered, a blushing smile on her face.

"Well then, perhaps we can do this again sometime," Hartley said, obliquely asking for a second date.

"I would love to," she answered.

Hartley took Claire's hand, lifted it to his lips and gently kissed it. "Goodnight, Claire. Sleep well."

"Yeah, you, too," was all she could manage. Hartley smiled back, amused by her answer. She was clearly enchanted. So was he.

When her date drove off, Claire went into the house and closed the door behind her. She slowly walked her way up the stairs and into her bedroom. There she kicked off her shoes and sighed. Tonight was perfect.

Claire had been too caught up in the moment and failed to check up on her two girls. She really should have.

**~O~**

Valerie sped across the paved highway outside of Storybrooke. With only the moonlight and her headlamp for illumination she was playing a dangerous game of chicken with the surrounding woods. One bad turn and she could end up in a crevasse, plow into a tree trunk or thrown into a boulder. She loved it so, it made her feel alive. Speed made her heart pound, her life seemed whole and her soul sang like a bird.

Tonight, though, her speed was for another reason. Hot on her tail was Graham, the town sheriff. Valerie had the more agile vehicle, but the Crown Victoria used by Sheriff Graham was a police interceptor. A specially modified vehicle for enduring long, hard chases.

Valerie had been caught speeding through the roads. She was recorded well above the posted speed limit and Graham gave chase when he saw her shoot by. Graham was working this evening because he had promised his new deputy, Emma Swan, no night shifts.

The young motorcycle rider led her pursuer through every highway and back road she could find. Then the chase went where it should not have. Into town. It was one thing for her to drive recklessly through the woods where only she could be hurt, but now she was inside of the city itself. She was putting every resident nearby in danger. A major crash could send her motorcycle into a house where people were eating, sleeping or watching television.

This had to end quickly. He called up his deputy and asked a favor. "Swan, I've got the Kensington girl on a motorcycle," he told her. Graham told her the situation and asked Emma to block her off using Emma's yellow VW Beetle. "Really? Now?"

"Yes, now, I need a hand."

Sheriff Graham kept Emma apprised of his location and moved her into position.

Valerie shot into an alleyway. The other side was open, an easy way out for her. Then a yellow VW Beetle pulled into view, blocking the exit. Valerie had no choice but come to a fast halt. Graham's police cruiser pulled up behind her. The young girl riding the motorcycle didn't put up a fight or try to run. She knew she had been caught.

**~O~**

The next morning Claire was frightened that her eldest girl hadn't come home. Her mind kept coming up with the worst case scenarios. She called the hospital, but Valerie wasn't there. Claire then called the Sheriff's office.

"Yes, Mrs. Kensington, she's here," Graham told her.

"Oh thank my lucky stars," Claire said, breathing a huge sigh of relief. "I'll be right over."

At the station Claire was greeted by Graham and Deputy Swan, who was arriving for her dayshift. Mrs. Kensington was told what happened.

Dr. Hopper had said it was a good idea for Valerie to ride her bike around after her work was done.

_"Don't restrict her," Archie had told Claire during a session of family therapy. "The more you try and control her the more she thinks you don't understand her."_

_"What should I do?"_

_"Use an outing on the bike as a reward for completing her work and following house rules," Hopper advised. _

Claire followed that advice and it seemed to be working. Valerie wasn't causing as many problems at home. Now Claire wondered if that advice was wrong headed.

"I can't believe what you did," she said ripping into her daughter. "I give you leniency and this is how you repay me? You…, you drive like a maniac and nearly get yourself killed."

"Leniency? What am I, a prisoner in my own home?"

"No, you are my daughter," Claire shouted.

"I'm also an adult," Valerie reminded her. "I don't need your permission to drive my bike. It's my property, I can do with it as I please."

"No you can't. If that were true you wouldn't be here," Claire said. "Why can't you be more like your little sister?"

"You mean that perfect little girl you didn't have to adopt?" Valerie said, holding back what she knew about Tina. "I'm just your big disappointment, aren't I? Your big adopted disappointment."

"Yes. I am disappointed in you," Claire replied.

"Then why didn't you just send me back?" Then Valerie flipped Claire the bird.

"Oh, that's it! You want to be the smart ass? Then let's see what a few days in jail does for your attitude, young lady."

Emma had to speak up. "Don't do that to your mother," she told Valerie. "I never had a mother. Or a father. You should be grateful to have someone who cares."

"Oh please," Valerie said. "Tell you what, let me out of this cage and you can have that one as your mother."

"You can stay here and rot, for all I care," Claire yelled back. She was done hand holding this arrogant young woman. Valerie was ruining her good mood. Claire was starting to let go of her dead husband's memory. Her coffee date with Hartley went wonderfully last night. Things were going so right for her.

Now this.

Claire stormed out of the station. She was stopped in the hallway by Deputy Swan. "Wait!"

"Yes, Deputy," Claire answered, exasperated. "I'm late for work."

"I want to talk with you for a moment." Emma sat down on a bench. Claire joined her. "I know what it's like to be her."

"You were a hell raiser who gave your mother fits?" Claire asked rather petulantly.

"I never had real parents," Emma admitted. Ms. Swan related her past, how she was abandoned on the side of the road. How she was left in the hands of the system where she was moved around from family to family her entire childhood.

"So how do you know what it's like to be her?"

"I had a foster mother and a father until I was three," Emma told Claire. "When they had a child of their own they gave me up, sent me back into the system. At the time, I honestly thought that my foster parents were my real mother and father. Being sent back hurt. I couldn't understand why Mom and Dad gave me away. Why did they stop loving me_,_ was the question I kept asking myself. One thing I considered was that they couldn't love me anymore because they had a new baby of their own."

"Everything is just fine at home," Claire said.

"Mrs. Kensington, Valerie might truly believe you don't love her like a daughter because you have a girl of your own," Emma said. "She could feel squeezed out. It is possible that you do think of Tina differently than Valerie and that you treat her differently without even being aware of it. But Valerie is keenly aware of it. She feels it every time you make a comparison between her and Tina. Maybe what Valerie feels is that she has been abandoned by her own mother."

"I am not treating her differently. She is just acting out."

"Okay, so why is she acting out?"

"She just wants attention," Claire answered.

"And if you are not treating her differently, why would she need attention?"

"I don't know? She's just a bad girl."

"If that were true then you should have sent her back a long time ago," Emma replied, rather angrily.

"She's my daughter," Claire answered.

"Are you treating her like one?"

"Yes!"

"Then why is she acting out? Why does she want your attention?"

There was a pause. "I don't know." For the first time Claire began to consider what was going on inside Valerie's head, rather than just making assumptions. "Do you really think she feels I abandoned her?" she asked rather contritely.

"I don't know, ask her yourself and find out." Emma went back inside and relieved Graham. She took over as the day shift, while Graham went home for some rest.

"Are you okay, Mrs. Kensington?" Graham asked on the way out of the station house.

Claire was sitting on the bench seat in the hallway, completely lost in thought. "Hunh? Oh yes, I'm fine, Sheriff. Thank you." Moments later she stood and walked back into the station room. She paid the bail to release her daughter. The money came from an envelope marked "house payment." This money was for Mr. Gold. Claire had submitted her bid to the town council for repairs on the town hall building. But without a place to live or tools to work with it would be impossible for her to honor the contract were she awarded it.

The contract represented much needed money. It could pay for a year's worth of payments to Mr. Gold and then some. This complication put her long term future in jeopardy once again. She barely made it last month and the month before that. Suddenly, life that seemed so full of possibilities was once again clouded in doubt. This was her daughter's fault. And maybe her own, as well. She dare not say anything to either Valerie or Tina about it. Instead she chose a different route to keep her home and family together. One that would eat at her very soul.

"You're bailing me out?" Valerie asked, confused.

"Yes, dear," Claire answered in calm and motherly tones.

"Why? I thought you wanted me to rot in jail?"

"Leaving you here will solve nothing," Claire answered softly. She could not bring herself to say that this might indeed be her fault. But maybe if she tried harder, Claire wouldn't have to.

* * *

**Congratulations to CommonSwift who correctly deduced that Blake and Chester are Blaze the Firefly and Cheese the Mouse, respectively.**

**I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Thank you for reading.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 6, Chapter 3**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

David understood what was expected of him. He assumed his brother's identity and was spirited away to the realm of King Midas to slay the dragon. In truth, the other knights were to kill the beast, David would take the credit for it so that King George's kingdom would have the gold it needed to function.

The small contingent of men made their way into the mountains where the dragon made its lair. The sound it made could be heard throughout the land. It struck fear in everyone who could hear it. On the approach, David noticed the path was littered with the charred bodies, armor and shields of hundreds of brave men who dared to attack the monster and failed.

He knew fear, yet continued on for the sake of his mother and the realm of King George. Two men guarded him while the others made their way into the beast's home. David had to survive the assault for George to get his gold.

Screams were followed by the terrifying shriek of the dragon. Flames billowed out of the cave. Several of the king's men ran from the monster, but were killed by a second volley of fire. The dragon came out of his lair and breathed fire on anything that moved. Two of the men guarding David tried to fight the beast. One died instantly in a shower of flames. The other suffered severe burns.

David could not stand by and let this travesty continue. He took a sword and tried to assail the dragon himself. David was not a dragon slayer. His brother was. James had been trained in combat and tactics his entire life. David was a shepherd, but those instincts would serve him well.

He found a crevice and ducked into it. The dragon tried to follow, but his head could not reach very far and got wedged in tight.

"You weren't expecting that, were you?" David said, realizing what he had done. With a flash of his sword, the beast was dead. The dragon's head severed from its neck.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

David Nolan, escorted by his wife Kathryn, was brought to his home. A two story Craftsman Bungalow style house. It wasn't a bit familiar to him. She mentioned that when they first bought the house there was a windmill on the front lawn. David hated it, thinking it made the home look like an old lady house. The windmill decoration was gone. Removed long ago.

Inside the house were many of his old friends and acquaintances. This was a welcome home party for him. He was introduced to Dr. Whale, Emma and many others he had known during his life before the accident.

"This is Claire Kensington," Kathryn told him. "She and her husband Charlie kept this house in good order for us."

"Hello, David," Claire said, shaking his hand.

"Hi," he replied, not really knowing who she was.

A few minutes later he was introduced to Hartley Winter, the man who kept the central heat and air system running smoothly. The two men shook hands, but like with every other person, David did not recognize him. His amnesia still blocking all memories from before the accident.

Off in the corner Henry Mills was talking with Emma, his biological mother. He told her that David didn't remember anything because his amnesia was blocking the false memories that the curse had implanted into everyone else. His solution was for David and Mary Margaret to get together and talk. It might bring back his real memories

"Didn't we already try that?" Emma asked the boy a bit dismissively.

"And it woke him up," he told her with the conviction that came from knowing he was right.

**~O~**

"Hartley," Claire said, pleasantly surprised to see him at the party. "Funny meeting you here."

"I was about to say the same thing to you," he replied.

"How…"

He explained that the Nolan's were customers of his. Claire told him the same. She pointed to the bannister on the stairs and said it was Charlie's work. The bead board on some of the walls she had done after Charlie's passing.

Hartley mentioned the coolness of the air. "That's my handiwork," he said. Claire smiled and laughed a bit. Hartley was smitten by that grin. Claire was taken by the gleam in his eyes. The two separated themselves from the rest of the group and talked quietly in the corner.

**~O~**

David found Emma and Henry sitting on a bench seat under the stairs. They were the only people at the party he recognized outside of Dr. Whale. Henry asked if David had ever used sword. He laughed, confused by the child's question. Emma felt embarrassed.

"Have either of you seen Mary Margaret?" David asked.

She never came to the party.

**~O~**

In the kitchen, Kathryn was busy preparing more food for her guests. Regina visited her there, asking her to go out and mingle. She was, after all, the hostess.

Kathryn admitted that she felt uneasy. She had her husband back, but felt that she still didn't have him back. Without his memories, their history was meaningless to him. Kathryn loved him, but he couldn't love her. Regina advised Kathryn to go to her husband and help him remember.

**~O~**

Claire and Hartley were enjoying themselves as they talked. They had found a cozy little corner all their own. She was telling him about her music background and how she used to each piano lessons at home.

"There you are," Regina said. She had just exited the kitchen. Mrs. Nolan went looking for her husband. Regina had spotted these two getting chummy.

"Oh, hello, Madame Mayor," Claire replied. "I don't know you were friends with Mr. and Mrs. Nolan."

"Yes, we go way back," Regina told her. "I wanted to let you know, the council made a decision on your bid for renovating and repairing Town Hall this morning."

Hartley noticed that Claire looked very nervous. He was well aware of her financial troubles and that her daughter Valerie had been arrested recently for speeding and resisting arrest. Bail must have set her back quite a bit.

"Valerie's arrest didn't help your case very much," the mayor informed Mrs. Kensington.

Claire's mood changed from nervous to feeling devastated. She knew her bid had been turned down. Now she would have to sell her much beloved piano to Mr. Gold just to make her full payment this month.

"I argued that if you couldn't keep your own child under control would it even possible for you to manage your own workers," Regina said, almost enjoying the look of despair that washed across Mrs. Kensington's face. "Unfortunately..., unfortunately for me the council didn't see it my way. You've done enough for each of them that they trust you. I can't understand why. You were awarded the contract. Work begins Monday."

"Oh thank you, Mayor Mills," Claire gushed. She was ecstatic that her bid had been accepted. For Claire this meant that her immediate future would be secure. She could keep her piano after all. With the bid accepted she would be able to afford to make the payment in full.

"Congratulations," Hartley told her, clearly happy for her good fortune. "Now tell me a little more about your musical talents."

"Oh, are you musically inclined?"

"No, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested. You were telling me about your piano. I would love to hear you play it someday."

**~O~**

"Didn't you get the invite?" David asked Mary Margaret. Ms. Blanchard was trying to hang a birdhouse from a high branch. The tree sat in the front yard of her apartment building. David jumped the fence and helped her place the bird house from the nail set in the branch.

He told her that he couldn't stop thinking about her, that he loved her. She did not want to reciprocate. He wanted it to be a two way love, she said it should be a no way relationship. He was married to a wife who clearly loved and cared about him.

David said that whoever it was that chose Kathryn, it wasn't him. David, instead, chose Mary Margaret.

**~O~**

Mary Margaret didn't know what to think. Later that evening she consulted with Emma who advised that she do what was right and let David sort out his own life.

**~O~**

Valerie gritted her teeth. She had no idea that getting a tattoo could be so painful. She heard the shrill hum of the needle and never realized what was to come would be so intense. Slowly, excruciatingly the tattoo artist carefully drew in the outlines of the design she had asked for. The image of Chernabog, the demon from the_ Fantasia_ film.

Despite the constant sting of the piercing and inking of her skin, Valerie never once cried out. She held her tongue, determined to prove she was stronger than this. Stronger than her intolerable mother. Besides, if she gave up now, her back would be forever partially marked. She wasn't about to walk around as a freak. Her art would be complete. She always felt as if she were living her life in the lowest circle of Hell anyway, now she would have a hellish image on her back. A reflection of her ongoing despair with her life as it was.

**~O~**

When Valerie returned home from the tattoo parlor, she learned that wearing her brassiere set her skin on fire. The places where she had been inked was still sensitive. She went without her bra and simply wore her shirt and jacket as defense against the late autumn cold.

The shops were fully decorated for Thanksgiving which was just around the corner. Many more had already jumped the calendar and were preparing for Christmas. Thanksgiving was an American holiday in which people gathered once each fourth Thursday in November with family to give thanks to God for the blessings they had received during the year. The celebration usually involved lots of food and plenty of American football.

Valerie, her mother and sister were not religious people, but they celebrated anyway. Claire always told her it was best not to take for granted all the good things they had. Valerie could hardly call what she had "good." Her life could be so much better, if only she lived on her own.

_So why don't I live on my own?_ she asked herself. _I have the money for it. I certainly have the means. So why don't I leave?_

Valerie had no good answer for it other than she didn't have a good plan. She had fantasies, places she had selected for a new life, possible job prospects, but nothing she could point to as a fully formed plan with a proper destination in mind. Kyle had been her plan until she discovered just how much he had cared for his money over everything else.

_Maybe it's time I stopped daydreaming and started doing_, she told herself. San Antonio would be a nice place. Warm winters, hot summers, but jobs there were generally found in the military (San Antonio had several Air Force bases and one army base), the medical field or in the service and hospitality industry. San Antonio was known as a significant tourist stop with so many historical sites like The Alamo, The Riverwalk, La Villita, the Spanish Missions and the Spanish Governor's Palace just to name a few.

That's when it dawned on her the real reason she never left her mother's house. Other than flying Valerie had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. Staying with her mother at least afforded her the luxury of living without purpose.

_Isn't flying my purpose?_ she asked herself. _It's what I want to do more than anything. _

_And what would you do with it?_ her mother's voice asked. Valerie was imagining what Claire might have said.

_I don't know_, was all Valerie could answer.

_Would you fly airliners?_ Claire's voice asked.

_I don't know._

_Would you join the Air Force to fly?_ Claire's voice asked.

_I don't know._

_Would you fly charter airplanes?_ Claire's voice asked.

_I don't..._

_Would you fly a private aircraft for some wealthy person?_ Claire's voice asked.

_I don't know. Stop it!_

_Would you fly a crop duster? Or maybe an air taxi? What about stunt pilot? Maybe you would prefer to pilot an air ambulance or a plane for UPS or FedEx?_ Claire's voice asked.

_I don't know! Stop asking me these questions!_

_Well then what would you do with a pilot's license?_ Claire's voice asked.

Valerie came to a halt in the middle of the road. She ripped off her helmet and yelled, "I don't know! Stop asking me stupid questions. I don't know!"

_Questions are only stupid when you don't have an answer,_ Claire's voice told her. _Maybe it's time you found some._

"Shut up! Shut up and leave me alone."

After that, Valerie heard nothing else.

What Valerie heard was her own conscience. The serious side of her that she had shut out so she could be constantly mad at her mother. Valerie chose to ignore it. She chose to ignore it because she chose to ignore her mother and anything that was associated with it.

Valerie felt slighted by Claire. Ever since Tina was born Claire showered the little girl with attention and love, of which Valerie got less and less. Soon Claire began to compare her unfavorably to little Tina. Her little sister was so perfect and angelic, something that Valerie never was.

At first, Claire found Valerie's rambunctiousness and mischievous nature enjoyable. Once Tina came along that all changed. Now Claire had the child she had always wanted. Sweet, adorable, cute, perfect. All the things that Valerie did which Claire once thought were fun, no longer were. They were troublesome. Tina showed Claire what a cute baby could really be. Valerie became the pain in the ass no one wanted.

No one except her father. He loved her unconditionally even after Tina was born. Claire loved her unconditionally before Tina was born, and then conditionally afterwards. The condition was "be just like your perfect little sister."

Maybe the Claire voice in her head was right. Maybe it was about time she stopped just dreaming about flying and give it purpose.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 6, Chapter 4**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

David returned with the severed head of the beast. Proof positive that the deed was done. The knights who fell were suitably honored for their sacrifice in service to King's George and Midas. George was eager to receive his payment, but Midas had other ideas. He used the threat of the dragon to also determine who would be best suited to marry his daughter, Princess Abigail. A lovely blonde woman about David's age. It was Midas' intent to unify the kingdoms through marriage.

David, still going by his brother's name of James, was about to graciously turn down Midas' offer when King George pulled him aside and explained how things worked at this level. If David did not accept, King George would kill David, David's mother and take the farm. Without Midas' gold George's kingdom would perish and everyone in it would be lost. Without a proper government there would be no protection from invaders, no means to distribute food and water, no road would be safe, no laws could be enforced. Everyone would suffer.

With no choice, David begrudgingly accepted. Princess Abigail was equally unenthusiastic about the union. "He's the one who killed the dragon?" she asked her father. "I guess he'll do."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

David returned home from his late night visit with Mary Margaret. Kathryn tried to jog his memory with old photographs of them, but David couldn't remember any of it. When Kathryn invited him to bed, he felt it was all wrong.

**~O~**

Claire and Hartley closed down Granny's Diner again. This time they were more cognizant of the time and left the restaurant at closing time. They had returned to the diner after the party ended. The middle aged couple enjoyed each others company and could talk for hours about almost anything and everything.

Since Claire drove her minivan tonight, Hartley kissed her hand when they left the diner. However, he promised to call her for another night out together. Claire liked the idea very much. Hartley waited, helping her into the vehicle and watching her drive away and out of sight before going home.

**~O~**

The next morning, Mary Margaret stopped at Granny's for coffee. She was joined by an irate guest. David left his wife, Mayor Mills told her. She was stunned by the announcement. Regina thought she knew, but was surprised to learn Ms. Blanchard had no idea. Still, Regina counted Kathryn as one of her friends and advised Ms. Blanchard to stay away from David as it could break up a marriage and hurt many people.

But David didn't want to stay away from Mary Margaret. At the school he snuck into her classroom before the start of classes. He confessed his love to her again. Mary Margaret, heeding Regina's words, rejected his advances, but David was too smitten with her to let well enough alone. He gave her time to think it. He asked her to meet him that evening at the toll bridge where she had found him. If Mary Margaret showed up it meant she was willing to go forward with their relationship. If she didn't, he would never bother her again.

**~O~**

Claire returned home that evening, her first full day of work at Town Hall complete. Valerie was with her. Both of their clothes were covered in dirt and dust from the old paint they were sanding off the walls. Tina had come directly home after classes, she was with her study partner Clarence.

The work truck, which normally smelled like dirt or oil, was filled with the enticing aroma of fried chicken, which was picked on the way home. Claire knew she was not supposed to. Her blood pressure had come down a bit, but was still high enough to be a worry. Claire had invested in a small blood pressure wrist monitor. She used it every morning and every night to track her blood pressure. The results were not encouraging. She bought the fried chicken because she was tired of the usual "bland and healthy" meals she had been eating lately and wanted to indulge tonight.

Clarence graciously excused himself so the family could eat together, but Claire insisted that he stay for dinner. She wanted to thank him for helping Tina with her studies. It gave Claire an excuse to not eat too much of the fried chicken. She also liked having a man around the house for dinner. Something the house had lacked for eight, long years.

Looking at Clarence sitting at the dinner table, Claire thought about inviting Hartley for dinner this week.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

David came back to the farm to meet with Ruth, his mother. Her life was already improving. King George had kept his part of the bargain and she wanted for nothing now. David informed her of Midas' desire to unite the kingdoms through marriage. Ruth told him not to go through with the marriage. He should marry for love and not riches as he had always maintained.

He had already accepted. David explained why. Her life would be in danger if he turned down Midas' deal. But there was more, in order to keep up the ruse that David was Prince James he could no longer see her again. David had made this one last visit to tell his beloved mother "goodbye."

It was a bittersweet parting for both of them.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW (The Romano-British Period on the Mainland)

Queen Clarion would occasionally break into bouts of weeping, but never in front of her ministers or her subjects. Her mother, were she still alive, would have admonished her for the weakness.

_"He was so strong," Clarus told her daughter. "Your father was so strong, as I should have been."_

_"You were strong, mother," Clarion said to her mother the queen. "Only someone with no heart could be witness to such a horror and be unmoved."_

_"No, I failed and Pixie Hollow suffered for it," Clarus said. "Never be weak, Ree; never think with your heart. No good ever comes of it."_

That was one of the last conversations Ree had with her mother before Queen Clarus' passing. Her moment of weakness gave the pirates the location of Pixie Hollow, the treasury and the many artifacts of fairy magic. The implications of the theft were frightening.

"Now that they know where to find us," she said to herself, "they could come back at any time."

"That is a scary thought, isn't it," a voice said.

Clarion looked up, wiped the tears from her eyes and saw a human, fairy sized, with sickeningly shimmering skin, sunken eyes and wearing clothes that appeared to be made from crocodile skins.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "How did you get in here?"

"Who I am is not important, that I can help you with your little problem is," he said with a grinning laugh. "As I understand it, some nasty pirates stole something very important to you."

"How did you know?" Clarion asked, very confused by his knowledge of recent events.

"Oh that's easy, because I warned your mother and she didn't listen," he said.

"Rumpelstiltskin, I presume?" The queen's eyes narrowed as she sized up this grotesque looking human.

"You presume correctly, dearie," he said.

"You will address me as Queen Clarion or Your Royal Majesty," she stated coldly.

"Yes, yes, dearie, we can stand on formalities or we can find a way to solve your little problem."

"I don't need your help," Clarion said flatly.

"That's what your mother said and look where it got her," the imp said, goading the young queen. "I offered to protect her home from those awful men and she refused. Now she's dead, along with your father."

Clarion thought for a moment. Clarus warned her not to deal with The Dark One, but the scouts she had sent out to find the pirates had found nothing. Clarion was getting desperate. Where her mother's age and wisdom kept her from making a deal, Clarion's youth and inexperience would lead her down a different path.

"What can you offer me?" the new queen asked the impish man.

"Now we're talking," he said with a giggle. "You see, the pirates were hired muscle and your treasury was their finder's fee."

"What did they want?"

"Something called, the Enchanted Mirror of Incanta," he told her.

Those words chilled Clarion, she could hardly imagine to what ends their employer would use the three wishes of the magic mirror. Clarion simply could not allow that. She would protect Pixie Hollow where her mother could not. No weakness.

"The mirror cannot reach its destination," Clarion said, "and it must be returned to us."

"Oh now that's two things, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin said. "I can keep it out of that other person's hands or I can return it to you."

"It must be both," Clarion said with a determined stare.

"Very well then, just remember all magic comes with a price."

"Out with it then, what is your price?"

"I'll complete both tasks in exchange for a vial of yellow pixie dust and a vial of blue pixie dust."

Clarion's heart sunk. She could not give this abhorrent practitioner of dark magic any of their precious dust, what he could do with it might be almost as destructive as what the mirror could wreck. "Why do you need it?"

"I do magic, remember, I collect magical things so I can concoct spells and enchantments as I need them."

"Including a cursed axe? The same cursed axe that killed our Home Tree?" she questioned.

"A what? Is that what happened to your pretty little tree out there? I was wondering where it went," he said with a grin. "No, dearie, I use my magic to help others in need, like yourself."

"Can you bring back the dead?" Clarion asked. Unable to retrieve the mirror perhaps if her mother and father were alive they would know what to do.

"Oh no, dearie, magic can do much, but no' that." He said with a flourish of his hands. "What about your magic mirror?"

"As you said, magic can do much, but it cannot do that," Clarion said as she lowered her head revealing her sadness. "I'm afraid I cannot make a deal with you, Mr. Rumpelstiltskin."

"Okay, dearie, if that's what you want." He paused and turned around as if to leave. Then he swiveled back to face the new queen. "Oh, but what if you could use your mirror to keep the pirates from ever finding Never Land or Pixie Hollow in the first place? Your magic can bend time, can't it?"

Clarion's mind fixed on that and suddenly began to piece together the possibilities. If the mirror could alter the past…, but should she even try? Clarion again remembered that she was not to make deals with this man.

Sensing her apprehension, Rumpelstiltskin kept pushing her towards his own ends. "That's right, if the pirates never found this place your parents would not have been killed by them. You would have to give up being a queen, but at least you'll have dear old mum and dad around for a good while longer."

Clarion was silent for several moments. She was pulled in so many different directions. The new queen was frightened by her new status and all the challenges she was suddenly forced to face alone. She wanted her parents so desperately even if only to seek their counsel. But was she thinking with her heart? She was warned not to do that. It was dangerous Queen Clarus told her. Weakness leads to destruction which Clarion witnessed firsthand, both to Pixie Hollow and to her mother.

After the pirate's assault Queen Clarus saw what her failure had cost. The Home Tree was destroyed, the treasury emptied, the artifacts of fairy magic stolen and scores of Never Fairies had perished trying to stop the attack. Clarion then watched helplessly as her mother slipped into despair and depression, losing all will to live. She even stopped eating. Clarus withered away right in front of Clarion's eyes.

If Clarion were to enter this bargain it would be for them, they wouldn't have to endure such agony, Pixie Hollow would never lose its Home Tree; those who died would still live and the Never Fairies would get back its greatest and wisest royal couple. The magic of the mirror, though, was fraught with pitfalls. If the wishes were not from the heart then the outcome would be very disastrous.

"Of course, if you decline my offer, that pair of tombstones in the royal gardens will have to suffice. I'm sure it's just the same as having them around. Give dear old mum a hug for me, will you?" He paused a moment, then turned away and said, "Well, then. I'll be going now."

"Wait," she called to him. "We have an agreement."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled. His plan was coming together nicely.

* * *

**These are the past sins of Queen Clarion.**

**Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far.**

**I would like to add the following note. My hometown San Antonio Spurs won their fifth NBA Championship tonight (June 15, 2014), defeating the Miami Heat 4 games to 1. It was redemption after the Spurs came within thirty seconds of winning the NBA Championship last year. The Spurs lost game 6 in overtime when it seemed that they were going to win it all. They would eventually lose the 2013 NBA Finals in 7 games to these same Miami Heat.**

**Coming back to win it all this year was their season defining goal. Revenge is soooo sweet.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 6, Chapter 5**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret waited for David Nolan under the old toll bridge where she had found him, lying face down in the water after waking up from a coma. It was a cool autumn night and she wore a sweater to protect her against the chill. Her prince charming, David Nolan soon arrived. Her heart leapt with joy, only for it to come crashing down with the worst news possible.

He remembered. David's memories had come back and he remembered that he loved Kathryn and the life they shared together. Mary Margaret was absolutely crushed.

On his way to the bridge, David had asked Mayor Mills for directions. However, the route she gave him took David to Mr. Gold's pawn shop. The bridge was nowhere in sight. David went inside to ask where the bridge was. He noticed an elegant mobile, made from expertly blown glass.

"Charming," Gold said, describing it.

Something about it seemed almost familiar, but David had other priorities. He learned that the directions given to him by Mayor Mills were incorrect. Mr. Gold gave him proper directions to the bridge. David thank him and turned to walk out the door. When he did, David noticed a small windmill decoration sitting in the shop. It easily could have been the one that used to be in front of his house. He became enthralled by it. Suddenly, David's memories came crashing back.

At the bridge David apologized to Mary Margaret. He had decided to give his marriage with Kathryn another try. It was the right thing to do, he told her.

The right thing to do, Mary Margaret answered, was not to lead her on. Not to drag all the way out here just to break her heart. She walked away, embarrassed, humiliated and furious both with David and herself.

**~O~**

After dinner Claire retired to the guest bedroom on the first floor, which she was using as an office for the contracting business. She stared at the telephone for a moment, thinking about what she planned to do. She had no clue as to when to invite Hartley for dinner, or what to serve or what she would do with her two daughters.

Dating as a single mother was hard. With no family in Storybrooke she couldn't find a sitter. Though Valerie had appeared to settle down, but Claire wasn't comfortable asking her to babysit her little sister just yet. Worse yet, Thanksgiving was this week. Maybe it was a good idea to wait. Most likely he was deep in his own preparations for the holiday.

Claire had already reserved her own turkey at the local meat market. It came precooked with all the sides and trimmings ready to eat. Not the most traditional way to do things. Claire remembered those days when she and her mother spent hours in the kitchen baking the turkey and cooking all the food that went with the dinner.

No, she would wait.

_What about next week_? she asked herself. _You could make a date with him for after the holiday_. Agreeing with herself, Claire picked up the receiver and dialed his number.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Before leaving his mother for the last time, she gave him a ring. The ring, which was a silver band holding a green gemstone, was to lead him to his true love, she had told him. David refused, but she insisted. It had been in the family for a long time. It had drawn Ruth's parents together. It drew Ruth to her husband. Now it would help David find his love.

He confessed to not loving Princess Abigail. Ruth told him he could learn to love her. It was the magic of the ring. No matter what, he would find his true love as long as he kept it near.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

At Granny's Diner, sitting at the counter was a thoroughly dejected Mary Margaret. She was fiddling with the ring on her finger. It was a silver band holding a green gemstone. She had been crying off and on. She knew going in that this was how it would turn out, yet she ignored her own counsel and plowed ahead anyway. Dr. Whale, who had joined her and was talking with her, sympathized. He offered to buy her a drink in consolation.

**~O~**

Claire listened anxiously to the ringing tone. She almost hoped Hartley wouldn't answer. She had not been this nervous since she was first dating Charlie. Maybe that was a good sign, she told herself.

When he answered, Claire just about hung up the phone. Nervous nausea almost overwhelming her.

"Hello?" he said. Claire said nothing at first. She could barely speak.

"Hello?" he asked again.

"Hart…, Hartley?" she finally managed to spit out.

"Claire? Is that you?"

"Yes…, yes it's me."

"What a strange coincidence, I was about to call you," he told her. "Would you like to go out to a movie tomorrow night?"

Claire let out a huge sigh of relief. She had wanted to invite him to dinner, but thought that perhaps he might find it too forward so early in their relationship. Did they even have a relationship? So far she and Hartley had been on one official date. Their second "date" was a chance meeting at the Nolan's party. A dinner invite to her house might make him uncomfortable. In fact, she might look desperate. That would drive this man away.

No, a movie was a perfect compromise. A neutral location where both could be comfortable.

"A movie tomorrow with you would be perfect," she said.

Claire and Hartley talked a while longer, discussing what to see and when he would pick her up. When the call ended Claire placed another call. This time to Clarence. He asked him if he would be willing to "babysit" Tina and Valerie. After a momentary pause, Clarence agreed.

Claire trusted the boy implicitly. She had no idea what Tina and Clarence had once planned to do. She was oblivious to their mutual attraction and to her young daughter's burgeoning sexuality. Had she been aware, Claire would never entrust her two girls to the young man. Clarence had always been the responsible type. He seemed mature beyond his years. It was why Claire thought so highly of him. Yet for all his supposed maturity he could still give in to the desires of a nineteen year old boy.

That was something that never crossed her mind.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

David, now forever having to go by the name of his dead brother, Prince James, met with his adopted father King George and his new ally King Midas. He was to escort his bride to be to their destination. Their new home. James decided to take the scenic route, rather than the more direct path. Perhaps by spending some meaningful time with the princess he could find qualities in her he could love.

On the ride through the forest, Princess Abigail did nothing but complain. The path James had chosen was too long. The ride too bumpy. Not a single word of praise or kindness escaped her unhappy lips. The carriage in which they were riding and the contingent of mounted guards came to a stop. There was a roadblock ahead. Unbeknownst to them, waiting high in the trees was the thief, Snow White, waiting to pounce on her unsuspecting prey.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma was patrolling the town this evening. Graham had promised no night shifts, but he asked her to cover for him. He explained that he volunteered at the animal shelter. The shift supervisor was ill and Graham was needed to feed the animals overnight. Emma agreed, but only because he had bribed her with a Bear Claw.

While driving through the upscale neighborhood, Emma saw someone jumping out of the Mayor's house. She stopped the car and apprehended the intruder. It was Graham. The window he had jumped out of Regina's bedroom. Emma was sickened that he and Regina were having sex while Henry was still in the house.

Graham tried to justify himself by saying that Henry was asleep and had no knowledge of the affair. Emma didn't care to hear it. She was too disgusted by Graham's bad judgment. She told him he could finish the night shift. Emma was going back home.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Romano-British Period on the Mainland)

"Did you get what you wanted?" A tall, wiry man asked. The man, dressed in a long coat and wearing an exaggerated top hat, was named Jefferson. He was a portal jumper. His hat used the ambient magic in any environment to open portals between realms. The only places off limits to him were worlds and realms without magic of their own.

"Not that it is any of your business, but yes. I did," Rumpelstiltskin answered. He dangled two small bags, one contained golden pixie dust, the other blue pixie dust. Jefferson did not know why he needed this dust, there was plenty of Pixie Dust that could found on dark Never Land. Why he had to come to this alternate Never Land was beyond him.

"Good, then we can go home," Jefferson said. "I want to see my daughter."

"Oh were not done yet," Rumpelstiltskin told him. "I have many more jumps to make."

Jefferson did not look happy. "You said we would only be here as long as was necessary."

"Yes, I did, and it is still necessary for me to be here," The Dark One replied. "Don't worry, you'll be paid handsomely for your work. Then you can get your wee little one anything her heart desires."

"Her heart desires being with her father."

Rumpelstiltskin felt that comment sting. It was an unpleasant experience. "Spin your hat, portal jumper. We are going to another Never Land realm. One different from this one."

Jefferson looked confused. He thought that this was the alternate Never Land that The Dark One needed.

Rumpelstiltskin was not one to sit on his laurels and let others have the knowledge he could use to his own advantage. Knowledge, like gold, was power. The Dark One coveted power. He had read through all of Jefferson's maps and journals and was keenly aware of all the magical realms and universes that existed beyond the Enchanted Forest.

"Where are we going this time," Jefferson asked, needing a specific place and time for the hat to work properly.

"It's a Never Land just like this one," Rumpelstiltskin observed. "However, the fairies who live here call their home Pixie Hollow. Where we are going, they call it Fairy Haven. I suspect I will find someone there who can help me accomplish my goals."

* * *

FAIRY HAVEN, NEVER LAND (Contemporary times)

Mother Dove lay in her nest in the Hawthorne Tree. Beck, the animal fairy, flitted about caring for the sweet bird. She brought Mother Dove anything she needed. Food, water, companionship. The dove pecked gently at her plumage. She cooed gently her appreciation for Beck's dedicated service.

Mother Dove could not move from her nest to get the things she needed to survive. Her egg was special. It was responsible for keeping everyone who lived on this Never Land from aging. If the egg broke all the fairies, people and creatures that lived on Never Land would grow old and die like normal.

Beck understood how important her role was. Protecting Mother Dove and her egg meant protecting Never Land and all the fairies of Fairy Haven. Beck helped Mother Dove to keep her feathers looking pretty and well ordered. On this Never Land, the Pixie Dust Tree no longer existed. Instead, Mother Dove's feathers were used to create pixie dust.

Every year, Mother Dove molted and all of her feathers were collected and brought to the pixie dust mill where they were ground into dust and carefully distributed to everyone. The annual pixie dust harvest had to last all year until the next molt. Protecting the dust, and Mother Dove, was essential to survival.

This Never Land, unlike the one Jefferson and Rumpelstiltskin had just left, was different. This Never Land was alive. It constantly moved, preventing anyone from randomly finding it. When a baby laughed for the first time, that laugh would eventually become a fairy. But many kinds of fairies existed. Never Fairies, Great Wanded Fairies, Lesser Wanded Fairies and so many more. If Never Land didn't want the laugh, it would move and not let it come to the island.

But when Jefferson and Rumpelstiltskin arrived, Never Land had no choice. They arrived unexpectedly. Never Land could not move to avoid them. Even if Never Land tried, the portal would always find its way to the island. But that didn't mean the magical island couldn't fight back. It convulsed and blew powerful winds. It moved and spun trying to remove the unwanted visitors. Yet for all its complaining Never Land could not dislodge the two.

Mother Dove was in tune with Never Land Island. She could feel what it felt. Knew what it knew. She keenly understood.

"What is it, Mother Dove?" Beck asked her. "Why is Never Land is so mad?"

Mother Dove straightened her neck and listened to the island. Then she spoke. "Evil is here."

* * *

**This is the end of Episode 6. I hope every has been enjoying this story. **

**The final section, which takes place on the Never Land with Fairy Haven, is from the book universe of the Disney Fairies franchise. It should be considered another alternate or parallel universe Never Land.  
**

**The book universe consists of many of the young reader books beginning with_ Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg_ (2005), _Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand_ (2008), and _Fairies and the Quest for Never Land_ (2010). All three were written by Gail Carson Levine who is probably best known as the author of _Ella Enchanted_.  
**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 1**

Note: This occurs during the seventh episode of the first season titled: "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia was brought before Queen Clarion. The fast flyer, noted for having a high opinion of herself, had made several disparaging remarks to members of the Tinker Talent Guild. After numerous encounters, the guild overseer for the Tinkers, Fairy Mary, decided it was time to bring matters to the queen.

Clarion read through a laundry list of complaints against the Vidia. She had constantly harassed members of the tinker guild. She claimed they worked in a ditch, smelled badly at all times, dressed shamefully, possessed no real magic or talent of their own, referred to them as unnecessary and made unfavorable comparisons to the clumsy humans who lived on the mainland.

The queen was at a loss for words. No fairy in all of Pixie Hollow had shown such contempt for other guilds before. When Vidia first arrived, she had made a rather rude and blunt comment to the queen. Clarion had laughed it off then. Now it seemed that it was a mere sample of Vidia's snobbish and egotistical personality.

"I have never heard of such disgraceful behavior in my rule as queen," Clarion told the scowling flyer. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I was just telling the truth," Vidia replied bluntly. "The Tinkers are an inferior caste."

"No one in Pixie Hollow is inferior," Clarion responded. "Every individual fairy is equal. Each talent guild is equal."

"Don't be so certain," Vidia answered. "Fast flyers are the fastest guild. If everyone is so 'equal' why can't everyone fly as fast as we do?"

"There is a difference between inequality of talent and equality of person, Vidia," Clarion responded. "Each and every fairy and sparrow man is treated as equals. They are equal under the law and are due the same respect and dignity as everyone else."

"Hmmph," was all Vidia would say in response.

Just then Festus entered the room. He bowed to the queen and apologized for the intrusion. "My queen, there seems to be a misunderstanding. You see, we were just having a little fun at Vidia's expense."

Queen Clarion quirked a suspicious eyebrow. Festus, while a dependable fast flyer, could be a bit of a troublemaker himself. Though nothing as notoriously awful as what Vidia had been accused of. Several Tinker fairies and even Fairy Mary herself were present for this preliminary inquisition. They had all made numerous claims, verified by others, of Vidia's hurtful remarks.

"What do you mean, 'having a little fun,' Festus?" the queen asked, looking as unamused as possible. "And just who is 'we'?"

"Well, really it was just me," Festus clarified. "Not long after Vidia arrived, I and a couple of the other blokes did the usual hazing rituals. Then she and I had a couple of drinks, and I made a few off color jokes about the Tinker Guild. It got plenty of laughs from the fellows. Mind you, I don't actually believe any of it myself. I have great respect for the Tinkers. They are a wonderful guild. But, we are the fast flyers and we sometimes do have a high opinion of ourselves."

"A little too high, if you ask me," Fairy Mary rebuked.

"Thank you, Mary," Clarion said firmly, yet gently.

"Well, to be honest I didn't think Vidia would take any of it to heart," Festus continued. "I thought she would just laugh it off just like the rest of us."

"Would that include Swift?" Clarion asked.

"Oh no, Swift is very upstanding," Festus said, artfully lying. "I always tell him it's just a little harmless one upmanship, but he is a lot like you, Your Highness. Never likes it when our playful banter gets out of hand."

"I see," Clarion replied succinctly. "Is this the truth, Vidia?"

"Uh…, yeah. I guess I mistook what they were saying as the truth," she answered. "I'm sorry if I said anything wrong."

Clarion turned to Fairy Mary, who seemed to accept Vidia's apology.

"Oh very well," the chubby guild master answered. "We're not above the occasional slight of other guilds ourselves. Not that we make a habit of it, mind you," Fairy Mary added with a wink to the queen. "We'll just let bygones be bygones."

With that, the situation was concluded and Vidia was allowed to go free, though with a stern warning from the queen about treating others as equals.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire was busy dressing for her date with Hartley. Tina was sitting in front of the television with Clarence. They were watching a reality television show.

"Oh, no, sweetheart, don't watch that," Claire grabbed the remote and tapped in a new station.

"The Disney Channel?" Tina complained. "Mom, this is for babies."

"But you always used to watch it," Claire said.

"They haven't had anything good on since _Kim Possible_ went off the air," she said.

Then from the television speaker came:

_There's 104 days of summer vacation  
And school comes along just to end it  
So the annual problem for our generation  
Is finding a good way to spend it_

"Ooh, _Phineas and Ferb_," Tina said gleefully. "I love this show."

Claire smiled, though with a mixture of eye rolling and head shaking.

In the kitchen, Valerie was sulking. She resented needing a sitter. At age 24 she was old enough to take care of herself, without the need for adult supervision. Or in this case, teenaged supervision.

Claire tried to calm her bruised ego by saying, "It's really more for Tina. I know you don't need anyone to watch over you."

"Then why didn't you ask me to sit my little sister?" Valerie spat.

"Would you have said 'yes'?"

"No."

"That's why I hired a sitter."

Nevertheless, it stung Valerie to know that she was never asked. A little acknowledgement that Claire at least _thought_ she was capable of this responsibility would have been nice. Though she never told that to her mother. Instead, she just sulked even more. As far as Valerie was concerned, Claire never listened; she just gave orders and made belittling remarks.

When Hartley arrived, he found his date dressed in a lovely black dress. She looked stunning, something he said to her quite emphatically. The high neckline and just above the knee hem with black stockings and high heel shoes gave her a look that was both fetching and mysterious, yet properly conservative.

The mother of two still needed to set a good example for her girls.

"I'll be back in a few hours," she told Tina and Clarence. Valerie just grunted from the kitchen. "Be good."

"We will, Mom," Tina said cheerily.

"They're in good hands, Mrs. Kensington," Clarence added.

"Thank you, Clarence." Not that she really needed to hear it from him, but it was reassuring. Claire grabbed her wrap to guard against the autumn chill and left with her handsome date.

**~O~**

Less than twenty minutes passed when Valerie left the house to take another joy ride on her bike. Clarence tried to talk her out of it, but she refused to listen. He at least got her to agree not to break the speed limit and be back at a reasonable hour. Like, before Mrs. Kensington returned home.

"If you're gone, I'm a goner," he summarized.

Valerie pinched his cheek and then patted it, like an aunt would to a young nephew. "Ooh, don't you worry. I'll be home before Mommy finds out what's been going on behind her back." She then roared off into the night on her Harley Davidson.

Truthfully, Valerie had to be back before her mother. If she were out too late again or was picked up by the Sheriff, Claire would confiscate the motorcycle and lock it away. Val couldn't let that happen. Instead, she told Clarence that she was going on a joy ride when she was really going to see Kyle. There was no other way out of this house and out of this town without his money and assistance. After last time, though, Val wasn't sure he would even acknowledge her.

She was fully reassured when Kyle greeted her at the door with a hug and a big, wet and messy kiss.

"I need a way out," she told him.

"Stay here," he answered.

"No, I have to get out of this town," she replied. "But I need your help to do it."

**~O~**

At Granny's Diner, Sheriff Graham was tossing darts at a board with a picture of a deer on it. Every dart hit its mark. Sydney Glass, the reporter was watching in awe. He even placed a bet that Graham couldn't hit his target with the next dart. Good luck has to run out sooner or later. It was later, the dart was perfectly thrown and hit its mark with uncanny precision.

Emma walked in on the dart game, but had no desire to talk to Graham. She had been avoiding him all day long. Graham was upset by this and followed her out of the diner and into the chilly autumn night. He tried to explain that he felt nothing between himself and Regina. Emma didn't really care to hear it.

Graham was caught in a bad relationship. What else was there to say?

Then Sheriff Graham did something completely unexpected. He kissed her. When he did, Graham saw a wolf. A wolf with one red eye and one dark eye. Emma pushed him away. She was disappointed in him before, now she was upset. Frustrated, Graham went to Regina's house to sleep with her again. After sex, he falls asleep and dreams of a wolf and a deer. The dream awakens him in the middle of the night. The images were so powerful that he tells Regina it felt more like a memory.

Regina, like Emma, refuses to believe him. He leaves, thoroughly confused by his strange vision. At his car, Graham is shocked to find that very same wolf standing in the street, staring back at him. The wolf runs off. Graham decides to pursue it.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Snow White's father is dead. She grieves at his sarcophagus. Snow and her stepmother, the queen, comfort each other. The queen has lost her beloved husband, a pain she feels as deeply as her stepdaughter.

Later, when Regina enters her private chambers, she spits with anger at her enchanted mirror. She killed the king and must now find a way to remove Snow White, as well. However, no one can know of her handiwork. The people of the kingdom loved their King and they love Snow White. Killing Snow outright would alienate Queen Regina from the people she wanted to rule.

She needed someone to do the dirty work for her. Someone who was a ruthless killer. What she needed was a huntsman. The mirror, at the queen's request, showed her a likely candidate. A tall and handsome man with a strong accent and true talent for killing.

The Huntsman is ridiculed by others at a local tavern. He mourns the loss of the animals he kills. And he finds companionship with a wolf. A wolf with one red eye and one dark eye. The creature is loyal and brave and honorable. Which is more than he can say about most humans.

The queen likes what she sees and orders her guards to bring him to her. The huntsman's task will be a simple one. Take Snow out on a walk. He will be dressed as one of the king's knights. He is then to kill Snow White, carve out her heart and return it to the queen in a special box. An ornate jewelry chest that belonged to Snow.

Then her revenge will be complete.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Sorry it took so long to post. I've been trying to catch up with another crossover I'm writing. Please leave a review.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 2**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Oh man, your mother is going to kill me," Clarence moaned.

"You'll be fine," Tina told him. "Val will be back soon. Here, just sit down next to me and lets watch a movie."

Tina used the Guide button on the cable box remote to find a movie she wanted to watch. However, like in her room, the channels Claire found too much for her littlest girl were blocked.

"Oh great!" she groaned. "Mommy dearest strikes again. No problem. I've got some movies up in my room. Be right back."

The little blonde girl ran to the bottom of the stairs. She stopped and turned around saying, "Unless you want to come up here with me? We can make our own romantic film."

"Huh!?" Clarence squeaked nearly jumping out of the sofa. "What?"

"Would you like to come up to my room and steam up the place?"

"Now!? Your mother could be home at any moment!"

"She'll be gone for hours," Tina informed him. Hartley had called earlier to add dinner to their evening plans. Dinner would likely take up to an hour. Then the film, another two hours, and then they would go somewhere to talk before coming home. Probably Granny's Diner for some coffee. "Trust me, we have the house to ourselves for a very long time."

"Well, your mother does trust me not to do anything wrong," Clarence responded.

"Do you want to make out with me or not?!" Tina yelled at him.

Clarence jumped out of the sofa and ran upstairs. Not so much out of carnal desires, but because whenever Tina yelled at him, he found it was better to just go along with what she wanted than to make her angry. Though rarely seen, she had one hell of a temper and he desperately wanted to avoid her wrath.

"That's better," she said, following him up to her room.

**~O~**

"You want to leave town?" Kyle asked Valerie.

"Yes, I figured out my life," she answered. "I need to find a city where I can learn to fly."

"Then what? What will you do with that?"

"That's what I finally decided," she answered. Valerie had thought about flying commercial airliners, but that was too routine for her. Aircraft that ferried cargo or mail was just as much of a bore as commercial jetliners. She certainly had no desire to join the military, they would send her off into combat. No, she had seen something on ESPN a while back and it caught her attention. It was the Red Bull Air Race Championship. The Red Bull Air Race series is a competition of speed and precision flying. Pilots fly their aircraft through a slalom course while racing against the clock and other pilots.

Aircraft used are made for high speeds and exceptional maneuverability. Air races involve incredibly tight turns at high speeds to make it around or through air gates. Tournaments were held around the world, with races that eventually lead to a championship competition for that year. The schedule for 2011 and 2012 had been cancelled to improve the organization and pilot safety. It was believed that by 2013 the Red Bull Air Race series would resume. Val thought this gave her the time she needed to learn to fly and become proficient with the aircraft.

Even if she couldn't compete at that level by 2013, she could start competing at lower levels, learning the game and moving up until she could qualify.

"I want to fly one of those high speed, precision machines," she said enthusiastically. "It's challenging and it will push me to my limits every time."

"I think you need to stop watching so much television," Kyle told her.

"This is not some dumb idea," she yelled at him. "This is what I want from my life! Now are you going to help me or not?"

"What do you want from me?"

"Funding," she replied. "Funds to get to a major city so I can enroll in flight school, then learn to fly in those kinds of tournaments."

"Do you know how long that takes? How long it takes just to be good enough to enter any tournament, much less _that_ one? It could take years? You'll be practicing every day for hours and hours?"

"Exactly, I'll be flying all the time," Val said with excitement. "But that means I need someone who can fund my training."

"Is that what you want me for? My money?"

"I want you to come with me, Kyle," she said.

"And what? Live together?"

"Yes! You and me, together."

He looked at her dumbfounded. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Very," she replied.

"I don't know, I…, what about my day trading?"

"You can do that from a laptop while we travel," she said. "You can bring all of your computers with you and setup where ever we decide to live."

"Val, you'll be traveling all over the world," he told her. "Those races take place in England, Budapest, Australie, the Middle East and the United States."

"Great! Plenty of new places to see. It will never get boring. Just what I want out of my life."

A chime brought Kyle running to his computer. A stock had reached a preset level. He clicked a few buttons and made a trade. "That netted about ten thousand dollars," he said with a smile.

Valerie turned to walk away. "You really do care more about your money than anything else. It was a mistake coming here."

She had had this conversation with him before. Valerie only came back to him because Kyle was the one person in town she knew with the money and perhaps the willingness to help her realize her dreams. Those dreams were now in focus. The first time in her life that they were and she was stuck here in this two bit town with no way out.

Kyle Lindwurm still preferred his money to people. Tonight was ending the same way it did a few days ago. She thought that maybe having a real plan of action would get Kyle to change his mind. No nebulous ideas, but a true and solid plan. Not one thing seemed to pry him away from his trading and his money. This was a fool's errand and she was the fool for running it.

Val turned the door knob to leave when she was grabbed by the wrist. Kyle had taken hold of her. He pulled her back into the house. One look told her all she need to know. His computers were off. No day trading, no chiming reminders, nothing that would interfere with her plans.

"I'll go wherever you want," he said. "You are worth more to me than all the money in the world."

It was all she needed to hear.

**~O~**

After a nice dinner at a Greek restaurant, Claire and Hartley settled into their theater seats. The movie they went to see was a romantic comedy which had received good reports from several respected movie reviewers. During the course of the film, Hartley noticed that halfway through the film Claire had wrapped her arm around his and was leaning up against him. He felt a bit nervous, unsure if she would respond positively to his arm around her shoulders. He decided that for their second "official" date this was inappropriate. Instead, he leaned in closer to her. She nuzzled in a little more, seeming to enjoy his company.

**~O~**

When Hartley brought Claire home, it was a little later than either had realized. Both had to get up very early the next morning for work, yet neither regretted staying out so late. Mr. Winter walked his lovely date to the door of her house, as he had the last time.

"I hope we can do this again," he told her.

"So do I," she replied.

"Do you like the theater?" he asked. "I can get us tickets to a revival of _The Music Man_?"

"That's my favorite musical. Wait, did Charlie tell you?"

"I'm afraid he did," Hartley was forced to admit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"No, I'm glad you remembered," she replied. "I would love to go."

Hartley smiled, both from relief and the burgeoning feelings he had for this fine young woman.

"Excellent, I will call you to set up a date." He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips to kiss it. This time, however, Claire stopped him. Instead, she took _his_ hand and put it to her cheek, allowing him to gently caress it. For the moment, Hartley was uncertain what she had intended. The look in her eyes, though, clued him in. He leaned in, lightly pulling her towards him.

Then they kissed.

She smiled, her eyes lit up. Hartley was almost certain he saw tears in those sparkling blue eyes. "Goodnight, Hartley. Thank you for tonight." She opened the door and went inside her home, but before closing the door said, "Call me."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

"What just happened?" Vidia asked of Festus after leaving the Pixie Dust Tree.

"I just saved your wings," he replied. "We talk down the Tinkers, and we'll even disparage them to their face, but we don't get caught."

"Are you…, are you mad at me?" she asked.

Festus stopped. "No, I'm not mad. How can I be mad at the most talented, loveliest girl in the entire guild?"

"What? You think I'm…, pretty?"

"Yes, I do," Festus confessed. The two just hovered in the air, neither saying a word to the other. There was an uncomfortableness that was palatable.

"C'mon, let's go back to the club," he told her. "I'm sure Swift will be happy to hear everything turned out alright for you."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Clarence had fallen asleep on the sofa. Claire woke him up and sent the boy home, paying him the fee she promised. He drove him in his Pontiac Aztek SUV. Claire could not understand why he ever bought such an ugly vehicle. She went upstairs and checked in on her girls. Both were asleep in the beds, looking like perfect angels. Claire didn't notice it, but Valerie was sleeping on her stomach. She normally slept on her back or side.

Of course, the middle aged mother of two wasn't thinking much about such details. Her heart was still a flutter. The evening with Hartley Winter was incredible. Dinner was excellent. The movie was delightful and he leaned in against her when she took his arm. Those things meant much to Claire. He had real feelings for her. But that wasn't even the best of it.

Their goodnight kiss was electric. She hadn't felt that way in nearly a decade. She felt more comfortable being around Hartley, and more comfortable not thinking about Charlie. One look at her bed and the prospect of being lonely for the rest of her life didn't seem so inevitable.

"Think clearly," she told herself. "It's only been two official dates." Yet so much felt so right.

**~O~**

Sheriff Graham couldn't find the wolf last night, so he went home and got some sleep. The next morning, though, he was up very early and went into the woods near Storybrooke to search for the animal. He deftly moved over the uneven earth and around the towering pines, their trunks covered in green moss. The air was thick with the smell of the trees.

Then he heard a sound. Graham followed it, but instead of the wolf he encountered Mr. Gold who claimed to be doing a little gardening. The sheriff replied that he was looking for a wolf. A creature which even Mr. Gold knew did not live anywhere near Storybrooke.

Graham told the pawn broker about his strange dream. Gold's response suggested that such dreams were memories of past lives. This was the feeling Graham had last night. If Mr. Gold thought it was true then maybe he wasn't going mad.

**~O~**

At Mary Margaret's place, Emma found a bouquet of flowers on the counter. She threw them away, thinking they were from Graham. Turned out, they were for Mary Margaret from Dr. Whale. Mary Margaret had a one night stand with him and he was sending her flowers hoping to develop a relationship.

Emma was rather proud of her roommate, she was finally getting over David Nolan and searching out a life of her own. Mary Margaret, though, sensed something wrong with Emma. Emma liked Graham, but something wouldn't let her express that. Emma, it seemed, had plenty of bad relationships in her life. Most of her dates rarely ever went beyond one night.

Mary Margaret knew the problem right away. Emma had built a wall to protect herself from getting hurt. But that wall, she explained to her roommate, didn't just keep the pain out, it kept the love out, as well.

**~O~**

He kept searching, listening until finally, Graham found the wolf. It did exist. A beautiful creature with white hair and one red eye that seemed to peer through your soul and one eye as black as the night. The wolf turned to walk away, but Graham chased after it. Then he whistled, feeling as though it was a familiar thing to do. The wolf stopped and looked at him. After a moment, the animal walked right up to him as though they were familiar. Graham couldn't understand this. He petted the animal, and the wolf enjoyed it.

Suddenly Graham was possessed by images. Images of a forest not unlike this one. Of Mary Margaret, but in strange dress and with long hair. Then a dagger raised high into the air and plunging as though to kill. The howling of the wolf and finally an image of a seal or family crest. Deer antlers held in a circle. It might have been carved from marble…, or maybe into it.

When Sheriff Graham awoke from the trance like state, he was sweating profusely and the wolf was gone. Now, though, he had a few more pieces to the puzzle. First, he went to visit Mary Margaret.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading this story. I greatly appreciate your feedback. Please leave a review.**

**And remember: Sheriff Graham = The Huntsman**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 3**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Graham visited Mary Margaret between classes. He told her he knew her. Well of course they knew each other, she replied. Graham, however, insisted that they knew each other from another life.

Mary Margaret gave him a look of concern. This was essentially the same thing that Henry said. She thought Graham had been talking to her imaginative student. He looked confused. She explained to him that Henry had this book of fairy tales and was convinced that everyone in Storybrooke was a character from that book.

Henry Mills had the answers, Graham thought. He went to find him.

**~O~**

Mayor Regina Mills went to the Sheriff's Station to confront Deputy Emma Swan. Regina had become jealous of Ms. Swan. She was convinced that Emma and Graham were developing a connection or a relationship. Regina told Emma to stay away from him. Graham was hers and she didn't want Emma getting in the way.

**~O~**

Sheriff Graham spoke to Henry about his visions. Henry, piecing things together, concludes that Graham was the queen's huntsman. The person The Evil Queen had contracted to kill Snow White. He was to have removed her heart and brought it back to the queen as proof of the murder. However, the huntsman couldn't go through with it, so The Evil Queen took the huntsman's heart instead.

Now Graham was convinced he had no heart. It might explain why he couldn't feel anything when he was with Regina.

**~O~**

Claire spent most of the day hating herself. She was convinced that she had come off as desperate last night. When her date with Hartley ended, she kissed him. It was only their second date official date. How could she be that stupid?

"He must have thought I was being too forward," she mumbled to herself while working at the Town Hall. Of course, today, younger couples routinely engaged in sex on the third date while others engaged in sexual relations with people they didn't even love. They called it "friends with benefits," although there were more profane terms for it.

She and Hartley were not young, they came from a different generation and a different set of morals and ethics. Sex was something intimate and was to be shared between two people who truly loved each other. It was not to be engaged in lightly or just for fun. At least, that was how she had been brought up. She assumed Hartley embraced the same or similar values.

_He is never going to call me back_, Claire thought. Now she worried that she had lost any chance with this good man. That sense of loneliness set in again. It made her sick in the pit of her stomach. She hid her anxieties from Valerie. She had to remain strong and stable for her two girls. They deserved that much.

In spite of her caution, Claire found herself crying as she worked. Tears would occasionally leak from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Valerie, who was listening to music from an iPod, didn't seem to notice.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

"Well done, well done," Swift told Festus and Vidia. He was very proud of them. Vidia was not punished by Queen Clarion for her insensitive remarks aimed at the Tinker Guild.

"We're doing a good job hiding all of this from the queen," Swift whispered to Festus. "I'll be running this guild soon and Clarion won't be any the wiser to us."

Swift and Festus truly believed in the superiority and ascendancy of the Fast Flyer's Talent Guild. They had been trying to get others to fall in line, but most thought along the same lines of Queen Clarion. Equality of person trumped inequality of talent or guild.

Yes, they all believed that their guild was the best, but not in the same sense as Swift and Festus.

The other fast flyers viewed their guild with pride. Their claims of superiority were little more than morale boosters and prideful boasting. These two, however, had taken it beyond that to the levels of bigotry and prejudice. They looked down on the other guilds and talents. They were viewed as inferior in much the same way that some humans viewed other races of their own kind as inferior.

Queen Clarion's belief in the equality of person only proved her weakness in their eyes. Swift and Festus had a plan. They were going to run the guild from under the nose of their guild overseer, Fairy Morrison. Eventually, they intended to impose their will on the entirety of Pixie Hollow through clandestine methods. Their ultimate goal was to force Clarion to recognize their guild's natural superiority.

Vidia falling into their lap was a stroke of good luck. Her great talent effectively made her a celebrity and the public face of the guild. Swift and Festus made sure to spend as much time with her as possible so they could "educate" Vidia in their ways. Mold her into what they wanted and needed while earning her loyalty. What they needed from her was the leverage Vidia's celebrity status could offer their movement. She legitimized their cause just by being associated with it. This made it easier to both bring in new converts and retain their old ones.

Swift stood on one of the tables in their tavern. He banged two cups together to gain the attention of everyone there. Each fast flyer in attendance was an adherent to their way of thinking. "Alright, alright. First, let us have a round of applause for our young Ms. Vidia."

The dozen or so flyers clapped their hands for the girl. Vidia, who was still dressed in her tight skirt and now sported four of the purple feathers, could barely contain herself. The appreciation was tangible. She felt special, not just for her talent, but just because of who she was. She was getting validation from these people and it made her feel good inside.

"Vidia," Swift began, "we apologize for not making that one detail clear. It is our fault that you were put into such a difficult spot. You are too important to our guild to allow your good name to be sullied. Please, can you forgive us?"

"Sure," Vidia answered. "You're my only true friends."

Swift flitted down from his perch and embraced Vidia. The warm and fuzzy feeling this created in her only endeared them to her even more. This was exactly what Swift wanted.

"Thank you, Vidia," he said. "You're like family to us now."

After another round of applause, Swift began this meeting in earnest. The first order of business was simple, to continue recruit more people. He needed everyone there to use the pride that the flyers had in their own guild as a means of converting them to their cause. The idea was to use simple reasoning to show the logical leap from prideful boasting to a firm belief in natural superiority.

Festus slid up closer to Vidia. Then he coyly put his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. She didn't pull away.

"Are you okay with this?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered with a smile.

His question had a double meaning. Was she okay with what was being said? Was she okay with how he was acting towards her? She seemed to recognize both possibilities. Her answer give Festus the clear impression that she approved of each one.

Vidia was falling in love with Festus. Nothing generated more intense loyalty than love.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The Huntsman had lost all hope in humanity. He had been abandoned by his parents. The wolves raised him. They were his real family. The wolf who travelled with him was his brother. Humans, he believed, killed each other for fun or profit or to impose their will. Animals only killed for food. In his opinion that made the animals the morally superior creatures.

In spite of all of this, he disliked the task at hand. He felt it degraded him to the level of the other humans he so despised. The huntsman was dressed as a knight and was escorting the beautiful Snow White on a walk. She engaged him in conversation. He was to kill her and cut out her heart. Then return it to the queen as proof of the deed. He hardened himself for the killing blow.

There was just one problem. Every knight who had escorted Snow on her walks had always offered their condolences. He hadn't. When Snow pointed his out, he tried to remedy his mistake, but it was too little, too late. Snow knew he was to kill her by the order of the queen.

"Your instincts serve you well," he said.

"And you're wearing too much armor," she answered just before Snow knocked him down with a large branch. While he struggled to his feet, Snow White ran for her life. This didn't really change his plans. As a huntsman, he was an excellent tracker. Snow was a coddled princess. The advantage was all his.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire was so nervous that she nearly wretched after lunch and again on the way home for work. She needn't have worried. On her home phone was a message from Hartley.

"Hello, Claire? I was able to secure tickets to the show this weekend. Are you free? Please return my call."

She called him back and accepted. They talked for almost an hour before hanging up. Claire was so relieved. After the holiday she was going on another date with her handsome man. Now she began to wonder if this made them boyfriend and girlfriend.

When she looked up at the clock it was getting late, Claire had to run back out. She needed to collect the turkey and sides she had ordered. "I hope they haven't closed yet."

* * *

**Thanks you to everyone has been reading. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Please let me know what you think so far.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 4**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia listened intently as Swift offered reasons for the superiority of the Fast Flyer's Talent Guild. These were the reasons that each of his acolytes were to give for turning others to his underground movement.

"Be patient," he told them. "You can't expect them to come around to our way of thinking right away. Let each step of your logic seep in. They cannot be bullied into accepting our opinions. They must be carefully led to our way of thinking. They must think they came to the conclusion on their own. Do that and they will be ours forever."

"Forever is a long time, don't you think?" a loud and gruff voice bellowed.

Swift turned around and looked into the face of his guild overseer, Fairy Morrison. Morrison was an imposing fellow, towering and broad shouldered. He was an older sparrow man with leathery skin and numerous nicks in his tall wings. His voice sounded like a gravely trumpet, his eyes were like black chunks of coal and he walked with an odd gait. His slight limp was the result of a run in with a hawk centuries earlier. Morrison was regarded as fearless. He possessed an iron will and held a firm belief in the laws of Pixie Hollow. He used them as his moral compass. What Swift was evangelizing was offensive to Fairy Morrison.

"All right, all of you break it up. Everyone out of here," Fairy Morrison bellowed. "Except you, Swift. Stay here, you and I are going to have a little talk."

Moments later, outside the door of the tavern Vidia and Festus stood and waited. "What's going to happen to Swift?" she asked.

"Ah, don't worry too much about it," Festus answered. "He'll just get a good dressing down and that will be the end of it."

"I don't know, Fairy Morrison looked quite angry."

"He always looks angry," Festus said reassuringly, "its how he tries to keep everyone in line. He acts like he is ready to rip your wings off at any moment."

"Oh."

"Yeah, deep down he's just an old softy."

Vidia felt at ease for the moment. She tensed up again when a number of scouts arrived and entered the tavern. Shortly afterwards they exited with Swift under guard. Then a few more scouts grabbed Festus by the arms and took him away as well.

"Hey, what's going on?" Vidia shouted. "What are you doing?"

Fairy Morrison pulled her aside and explained to her that Swift and Festus were being arrested for fostering an insurrection against the queen.

"No they aren't," she replied. "We _are_ naturally superior. They just want everyone in the guild to realize that."

"Now you listen here, young lady," Fairy Morrison said with a loud voice. "What they were doing wasn't just trying to convince everyone we were superior; they wanted to subvert the queen. Swift confessed everything. He got too arrogant for his britches and now he is going to face his punishment. They were using you, kid. Wise up or else everyone is going to walk all over you."

Vidia was incensed by his lies. Festus loved her without condition and she loved him; he wouldn't do such a thing to her, would he?

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire arrived after the doors had been closed. The front of the store was dark. "Oh no, I've missed them entirely. Now what am I going to do?"

She walked around the side and noticed that cars were still parked in the employee lot. She ran back around to the front and started pounding on the door. Initially, no one came to the front of the store. They probably thought she was trying to break in. She started yelling.

"Wait, wait. I have a turkey dinner in there. Can anyone hear me back there? See?" Claire put her bill of sale on the glass door. "See? I have proof. Anyone?"

Someone stuck their head around to look. "Hey, you, yeah you. See? I bought this least week." Moments later another person come to the front and opened the door.

"You're very lucky, Mrs. Kensington," the manager told her. "Another couple of minutes and we would have been gone."

Claire apologized for being so late and even offered to mow the manager's lawn next weekend for free in gratitude for being so kind. He gracefully declined, but did ask her not to mention what happened. "I wouldn't want it to get around. Everyone will show up late."

"I understand." Claire said appreciatively. She loaded her food into the truck and drove home. When she got there, though, she discovered that Valerie wasn't around.

"Where is your sister?" she asked Tina.

"Oh she went to drive around on her bike for a while," Tina answered.

"Great, when I really need her she's gone," Claire mumbled. "Tina, sweetheart, can you help me bring in Thanksgiving Dinner?"

"Sure."

**~O~**

Sheriff Graham spoke to Emma when her shift ended. He tried to explain himself again. This time he added what he had learned. That he lived in another life and that the Evil Queen had taken his heart. She had stored in a vault. There was a symbol. A crest that he had seen in Henry's book that marked the vault. Emma was worried about him. He had gone to a ten year old for advice. She then tried to convince him that he did indeed have a heart. She put his hand to his chest.

"See, it is right there," she told him. She could feel the beating in his chest. But Graham refused to believe that it could be that simple. Emma felt the extra warmth in his hand. He had a fever and didn't look very good. Graham, though, was adamant about what he had seen. Emma wanted to take him home to get rest, and then Graham went stiff as a board looking right past her. When Emma turned around she saw the wolf. The same one he had described. She was dumbstruck. Was he right about what he had seen? Or was this wolf just a detail he had added into his delusion?

Emma and Graham followed the animal. It led them to the cemetery. Specifically, they were brought to a mausoleum with the same symbol that Graham had seen in his visions and in Henry's fairy tale book. The large double doors were locked. Emma forced her way in. Graham searched for his heart, trying to find anything that could be used as a container. When he found nothing, he told Emma to search for a switch or hidden door. Emma felt sorry for him. Despite the presence of the wolf, she still could not believe that someone could have pulled his heart from his chest.

Graham looked lost, wondering if he was missing some piece to his puzzle.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Despite the heavy armor, The Huntsman had tracked down Snow White with surprising ease. In fact, when he found her she did not beg for mercy, nor did she fight back. She was busy writing a letter. This confused him. Why would she do this when Snow knew she was about to be killed.

Snow White confessed that he knew these woods far better than she did. She was a princess used to living in castle, he was a professional hunter and tracker. She stood no chance of avoiding him forever. It would only delay the inevitable. Instead, she asked that once the deed was done, he deliver this letter to the queen.

The Huntsman took the note and read it. The letter was an apology to the queen for ruining her life. She hoped that her death would finally quench her desire for revenge and that Regina would rule over the people as Snow's father had. The King was a gentle ruler who was wise and compassionate. This was the model Snow White asked Regina to follow.

For the man who had been raised by wolves and felt no kinship to any human, The Huntsman found himself truly mystified. He had lost all hope in mankind, yet here was this young woman who was a beacon for all that could be right about people. Unlike so many others he had encountered, her heart was good and pure. She put the welfare of others above her own and was willing to sacrifice herself so the queen could finally put to rest her pain of loss.

He felt for her. He felt for her in a way he had never felt for any person. Yet he was honor bound to fulfill the queen's request. He took his dagger and raised it for the killing blow. Snow closed her eyes and waited for the pain of the dagger violating her flesh, ripping through her body and the warmth of her blood to pour down her skin. Her life bleeding away.

It never happened.

Instead she heard a quick sound, a flick. She looked up and The Huntsman was fashioning a whistle from reed he had cut. He told her to use it whenever she needed help. Then he told her to run. Run as far away as she could. Snow couldn't understand why he would do this. But she followed his commands and left his presence, taking the whistle with her.

Needing a heart to satisfy the queen, he found a stag and killed it. He cut out the animal's heart and placed it into the box to return it to the queen. He never thought he would do such a thing. He had not killed for need. Yet everything he did felt right. Snow White deserved to live, sacrificing the stag in her place meant keeping that one shining light of humanity from going dark.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia had come to visit Festus in the stockade where he and Swift were being held. He told her to keep the faith and to never stop advancing their movement. "All we want," he told her, "is for the queen to acknowledge our superiority, that's all."

This was a lie. Swift and Festus had not only intended to gain that acknowledgement from the queen, but to have the entire Fast Flying Guild be treated like royalty. They also were going to demand that the "inferior" guilds, like the Tinker Talents and the Animal Talents, be stripped of their rights and guarantees. They weren't worthy of them, in their opinion. This, however, they did not tell most of the people they recruited. Nor did they mention it to Vidia. Neither Swift nor Festus thought she would go along if she knew everything.

"And remember, be as quiet about it as you can," Festus told her.

"I will," she answered him. The stockade bars a stern reminder of what can happen if she wasn't discreet enough. Festus leaned through the bars as far as he could and give her a peck on the cheek. It made her feel more attached to him than ever before. She smiled and even giggled just a bit.

Then she left to continue their work.

"Well?" Swift asked his cohort from the next cell.

"She's falling for it completely," Festus answered.

"Good. If the queen thinks she can stop our plans by putting us behind bars, she has another think coming. And if anything else goes wrong, Vidia can take the fall for everything."

* * *

**This story has already exceeded 5000 views. Absolutely amazing. Thanks to everyone for their continued support.**

**Fairy Morrison is an OC. He is inspired by American actor John Wayne. His height, broad shoulders, leathery skin, odd way of walking and even the way he speaks are all nods of the hat to John Wayne's public persona. His name comes from Wayne's birth name (Marion Robert Morrison).  
**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 5**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

After her conversation with Festus, Vidia decided to wait before setting a new meeting date. It was her conclusion that with the queen watching things so closely, moving too fast could expose them. She went around and contacted those who had been at the meeting in the fast flyer's club earlier. It was explained to them what had happened and that they should lay low until the monarchy wasn't so interested in them.

While she was engaged in moving from one loyalist to another, Vidia was stopped by a scout talent and told she was being confined to quarters until Fairy Morrison had a chance to perform an exit interview with her. This turned her stomach in knots. If she were accused as Swift and Festus had been then their cause might fall apart. She surmised that this may have been Fairy Morrison's plan to begin with. Get every participating member to incriminate him or herself and thus be done with it.

Vidia was escorted by a scout talent to her apartment in The Nest and told to wait. The scout then stood by the door to prevent her from leaving. With nothing to do, her mind began to swirl upon itself with worst case scenarios and likely outcomes. None of which were very good for her. Soon, Vidia became so afraid that she might be arrested and convicted that she wished she had never been involved with either Swift or Festus.

"No, that's what they want," Vidia reminded herself. "Fairy Morrison and the queen want me to sweat it out. To break under the weight of my own guilt. Well, I have no guilt. I'm proud of what I've done."

She kept telling herself this to soothe her nerves. She tried to feel stronger with each refrain, but in truth it only made her more nervous. It kept reminding her just how much Fairy Morrison and Queen Clarion knew about them. This made her think about what might happen to her. She started to imagine those worst case scenarios again and soon her stomach was twisted in knots so badly Vidia could scarcely hold down her own bile.

* * *

STORYBOOKE, MAINE

"What are you doing here?"

Emma and Graham turned and saw Mayor Regina Mills standing in the doorway. It was late out, she was dressed for the chill and carried a bouquet of flowers. Emma asked her the same thing in return. Regina had come to place flowers on the grave of her dead father, which she did every Wednesday evening.

She looked at the two and became enraged. Not only had they violated the sanctity of her father's grave, but it looked to Regina that they were carrying on an affair. She thus accused Emma of stealing everything that was important to her. First Henry and now Graham.

Graham told Regina that this wasn't the case. He felt nothing when he was with her. And he decided it was better to have nothing then to have less than nothing, which was what he had with the Mayor.

"I'm not leaving you for Emma," Graham said. "I'm leaving you for me." This was Graham's declaration of independence. He had his fill of being at her beck and call, of being treated as a pet. There would be no more booty calls. No longer would he be her enforcer in the Sheriff's office. He finally decided to be his own man, live his own life and make his own decisions.

Regina glared at Emma, the newcomer. None of this started happening until she showed up. She was the one putting these dangerous ideas into Graham's head. She was the thief in the night who took everything precious. Emma replied that she wasn't there to steal anyone or anything and that perhaps Regina was pushing others away from her. A few more words were exchanged between the two women. Then they came to blows. Each delivering withering shots to the other. Graham got between the two women and ordered them to stop, which they did. The two women were bloodied by the altercation.

"Not worth it," Emma mumbled while walking past Regina and out of the cemetery. The mayor invited Graham to come home with her, but instead he chose to go his own way. Regina was left standing alone in front of her family mausoleum.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

When Fairy Morrison finally arrived, Vidia nearly hit the ceiling she was so wound up. The door opened and the tall guild overseer and his assistant Kelly entered the room. Kelly was regarded by Swift and Festus as a wing kisser. He was being groomed by Morrison to replace him upon the overseer's retirement. No specific date had been given, but Morrison wanted a well-trained person to be ready when he did hang up his clipboard.

The interview with Vidia did not go particularly well for her. Fairy Morrison asked direct questions and Vidia gave half-truths or deflecting comments as answers.

"You were seen by scouts speaking with Festus at the stockades," Morrison told her. "What did he tell you?"

"He wanted me to keep everyone's spirits up," Vidia said, half lying.

"Is that all?"

"That was all," Vidia replied. Then she added, "Why can't you see that we are the superior talent guild?"

Fairy Morrison gave an answer the queen would have been proud of. "We are all equal in the eyes of the law."

"Why is that so important to you?" she asked.

Morrison glared at Vidia. She nearly crumbled under his gaze. "We may be the better guild," he confessed, "but that doesn't give us the right to strip away the guarantees of other talent guilds and reduce them to servants."

Vidia looked absolutely puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Her sincerity was clear in her voice. Morrison understood now that she had not been told of their plans. So he explained it to her in excruciating detail. How they intended to force the queen to give the fast flyers a favored status in the Pixie Hollow. Then they wanted her to subjugate the "lesser" talent guilds. Strip them of their rights under fairy law. Make them servants or slaves.

Vidia didn't like the sound of that one bit. Her mind swirled with questions. She became unsure of her own commitment to the cause. Yet she refused to back down to Fairy Morrison. Vidia could not be certain if what he was telling her was the truth or a carefully constructed lie to divide and conquer the remaining members of Swift's underground movement.

"Well, what's so bad about that?" she asked him. "Maybe they deserve it." Vidia hated herself for saying this.

"Now you listen here and listen good, Vidia," Fairy Morrison roared. "If they can strip an entire talent guild of their protected rights, then what is stop them from stripping those rights of specific fairies and sparrow men they don't like or who disagree with them? If you challenge their authority they might just decide you aren't superior enough and turn you into a servant."

It was a solid and shocking enough argument for which Vidia had no real answer. She could only say that Swift and Festus would never do such a thing, though she had no conviction in those words. That lack of conviction came through loud and clear to Fairy Morrison. What she was saying now had more to do with anger and frustration than conviction. He began to understand just how much of a pawn she was to them.

"Look, Vidia," he said, now with a more caring tone. "They used you to their own ends. Neither one of them told you their real intentions. They couldn't afford to let you find out. Deep down inside I know you are still loyal to Pixie Hollow and the queen. Now please tell me, what did Festus tell you at the stockade?"

"It was just what I told you earlier," Vidia replied with a harrumph. "He just wanted us to keep the faith. Not to give up hope."

"Vidia, don't you understand how they've manipulated you?"

"They never manipulated me!" she yelled, infuriated with him. "They care about me! They trained me, made me believe in myself and to realize the full potential of my talent!"

"Swift and Festus wanted your loyalty because it let them treat you like a trained pet," he countered.

"No! They were invested in my future, they trust me. If what you say is true then why would they have even bothered to help me earn these feathers?"

Vidia clapped her hands over her mouth. Now she had done it. She had become so irate with Fairy Morrison that she had breached the secretive nature of the feathers. Vidia hard worked hard to earn each of these. She had endured horrible tasks. They pushed her beyond herself, in earning each one.

Fairy Morrison laughed. Hard. "Those feathers aren't earned," he informed her. "Anyone can pick those up from the dressmaking talents."

"No, I worked very hard for these, they come from a rare bird that lives here on Never Land," she shot back.

"Those are feathers from a dove," he replied. "Collected after a molt. The dressmakers dye them into whatever color you want."

To prove his point he yanked one from her clothing and snapped it in half. The inside of the feather was all white, but the dye was visibly invading the shaft of the feather. Vidia's heart sunk. Suddenly there was hard to deny proof that Swift and Festus were lying. She couldn't defend them any longer.

Feeling betrayed Vidia lowered her head and confessed to what Festus had told her at the stockade.

"They wanted me to schedule another meeting," she said. "They were going to tell me what to do and I was put their plans into action."

"And I'm sure they would have let you take the fall if your meetings were found out," Morrison concluded. "Thank you, Vidia. And I'm sorry for what happened. The queen will be told of what they did to you. They'll be punished severely for what they've done." Then he added, "I'll get you another feather."

"Don't bother," she said, pulling the ones from her clothing and throwing them on to the floor. "They're worthless."

Morrison gently asked what she had been asked to do to earn these feathers. Vidia described to him all of the things Swift and Festus had asked of her. Morrison realized just how badly she had been manipulated and lied to. He had the difficult task of correcting all of the misinformation she had been told.

For instance, the wild lands where she had first spent an entire day picking wild blueberries were not dangerous at all. The only wild part about it was that no fairies actively cared for any animal or plant there. Every danger she had endured was manufactured in her mind. Swift and Festus had implanted the idea in her head and allowed her own imagination to run amuck and complete the effect.

The guild overseer picked up the remaining feathers and handed them back to her. "Go ahead and keep these. I'll get you more. You've earned every single one of them."

* * *

STORYBOOKE, MAINE

"Where were you today?" Claire asked Valerie as she came up the stairs and to her bedroom.

"I was out driving around," she answered.

_In truth, Valerie had been at Kyle's place again. They kept adding necessary details to their plans. These including the best place to set up their new residence, where Valerie could enroll in flight school, how much it would cost and how long. Then Kyle suggested she take a job as a regular pilot so that flying could become second nature to her. _

_"It's like driving a car," he told her. "Just because you've earned a driver's license doesn't mean you can start racing at Daytona." He suggested she try something like crop dusting or flying for a small outfit for a year or two until operating an aircraft became second nature to her. It would also serve to give him the time he needed to find a proper racing plane for her to practice in and a trainer to help her become proficient with it._

_Valerie was feeling a bit frustrated. He was asking her to be patient, but she didn't want to wait anymore. Her current life in Storybrooke was unfulfilling. She wanted to get her new life started as quick as possible._

_"You'll be fine," he told her. "This is going to work, but we can't rush into it. We're talking about flying a high performance aircraft. One wrong move could end your life."_

_Then he put his arms around her and give Valerie a long and deep kiss. It sent shivers down to her toes._

"I needed you today," Claire told her, irritated. "I had that large turkey dinner to bring in and you were not here to help me."

"You never asked me to stay and wait," Val replied.

Claire knew she was right. "Okay, fine. But tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I had hoped you would have stayed in the house to help out with preparations. Tina and I spent most of the evening alone making cornbread for tomorrow. I would have liked for you to have joined us. For us to be together like a family again."

"Well then, I suggest that next year you ask," Valerie said with a disdainful tone of voice.

"I shouldn't have to ask," Claire replied sharply. "You should have the family attitude to stay here and help. Why do you keep putting yourself above the rest of us all the time?"

Val didn't answer. She looked hurt and insulted. The young woman went into her bedroom and locked the door.

Claire just threw up her arms in disgust and went to bed. Tomorrow was supposed to be a good day for the three of them. Already it was looking like it would be disaster.

* * *

**Thank you for your continued support. Please leave some feedback. **


	40. Chapter 40

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 6**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

After the interview had ended, Vidia was released from house arrest and was free to go where she pleased. After everything she had been told by Fairy Morrison, Vidia went back to the stockade to confront Festus. She brought with her the feather that had exposed his deception.

"You lied to me," she growled at him. "You lied and manipulated me and you led me to believe that you loved me."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Vidia? What happened?" he asked her, Festus looked genuinely confused and very concerned for her.

Vidia showed him the feather. "What is that?" he asked.

"This is one of those feathers you had me fly through hoops to earn," she said, tears of anger and betrayal streaming down her cheeks. "It's fake. It's just a pigeon feather with dye."

"Who..."

"Fairy Morrison told me," she answered. She showed him the exposed shaft where the white had been partially colored by the dyes used by the dressmaking talents.

"I'm sorry," he told her, choking up. "I'm sorry that I lied to you about where the feathers came from. We do it to all the new arrivals. It's part of our hazing ritual."

Vidia looked very perplexed. "Don't people feel betrayed when you tell them?"

"No, after we tell them we give them actual purple feathers," Festus explained. "They aren't rare, but the bird does live on Never Land."

"So why don't you just give them the real feathers in the first place?"

"Like I said, it's part of hazing," Festus said. "After we reveal our little deception the ones earned are replaced and every new feather received is an actual purple bird feather. You see, we weren't trying to single you out. Ask anyone in the guild, they will tell you the same thing."

Vidia still looked rather confused. Festus could read the look on her face and gave her the answer she was looking for. "Getting real feathers is for the veterans. Members who've proven themselves in the field and have achieved a certain proficiency of their talent."

He watched her processing this answer. Before she could start question him, Festus pressed forward. "What else did Fairy Morrison tell you?"

Vidia looked back at Festus, her mind moved from thinking about the feather to her conversation with the guild overseer. "He told me that you and Swift were planning to force the queen to render lesser guilds into servants and slaves. Is that what this is all about? Power"

"He's lying to you, sweetheart," Festus answered in a soft and tender voice. "Don't you see what he is doing? Fairy Morrison is trying to sow dissent among our ranks. He wants to break up our cause by turning us against each other."

"Why?!" she replied forcefully. "Why does he want us turn on each other? If you aren't trying to take over why does he want to break us up?!"

"He is paranoid, that's why," he answered. "Morrison is old in his years and in his thinking. He sees conspiracies everywhere."

"Morrison didn't sound crazy when he interviewed me," Vidia replied. "Now be straight, if you and Swift are not engaged in an insurrection then what do you want?"

"We just want to be recognized as the superior guild," he told her.

"Do you want to take away the rights of other guilds?"

"No, of course, not. Do you know how wrong that would be?"

"So why does he think you want that?"

He sighed. Festus looked towards his partner, Swift. "Go ahead and tell her," he told Festus.

"Fairy Morrison is going senile. Kelly is to be his replacement, but Morrison doesn't recognize how badly his senility has become."

"Why won't the queen remove him from office?"

"She is too soft hearted," Festus answered. "Queen Clarion is close friends with all of the guild overseers. She just doesn't have the heart to force him into retirement."

"Wa-it, I thought you said he was paranoid?" Vidia said, seemingly catching him in a lie.

"It is part of his senility," Festus answered. "We tried to convince him to retire a while back, but he refused. Now he thinks some of us are trying to get rid of him. To force him out before he is ready."

Vidia mulled this over. "He sounded pretty lucid in my apartment."

"He has good days and bad," he said. "More bad than good now. Kelly has been assigned by the queen to keep an eye on him."

Vidia looked him over, trying to size him up and determine if what he was telling her was the truth or more deceptions. At this point, she had no idea who to trust anymore. She had been caught in something big and she had no interest in it. All Vidia wanted was to extricate herself from this and get on with her life as the best fast flying talent and most talented fairy in all of Pixie Hollow.

"Please, you must believe me," Festus pleaded. "If Fairy Morrison tells the queen these delusions born from his senility we might end up losing many good fast flyers."

"But she knows he is senile?" Vidia replied. "That's why Kelly is there, to protect him. To protect us."

"Yes, but on his good days Queen Clarion puts a lot of weight in his opinions," Festus explained. "And sometimes…, sometimes it can be hard to tell when he is not in full control of his faculties."

Swift then stepped forward. "Don't be too concerned about us," he said. "Worry about your fellow flyers. If we have to take the fall for something that isn't our fault, then we will. Our concern is for the safety of the guild. They have to come first."

Vidia found these words comforting. No one interested in leading an insurrection would put the welfare of others above their own. Particularly if it meant giving up their attempted coup. Self-sacrifice couldn't be in the nature of someone who had an eye for power and glory.

"Vidia, I'm sorry about the feather," Festus said again. "Wearing a true purple feather is privilege not a right. And I think you've earned that privilege. Go to Kelly and ask for replacements. He will get them for you. You really are one of us now."

"Why would he listen to you?"

"He won't, but he has been watching your growth along with Fairy Morrison. Kelly has been very impressed and expressed a desire to see you get those real feathers sooner than later. Tell him you know about the fake feathers and ask for replacements. I'm sure he'll be very keen on getting them for you."

"Just don't mention our names," Swift added. "For obvious reasons."

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

"Don't tell me you're becoming sheep?!" The Evil Queen exclaimed. Queen Regina believed that people could be classified as either wolves or sheep. The wolves were the strong and predatory. They didn't let their emotions get in the way of their ambitions. The sheep were the weak whom the wolves preyed upon. They were held back by such useless emotions as love, compassion, pity, friendship and familial connections.

The occasion for her fury was The Huntsman's sympathetic regard towards Snow White. He read to her the letter and seemed unable to reconcile why someone so compassionate and selfless could be worthy of such intolerable wrath. "What did she do to you," he asked her.

"I told her a secret, and she couldn't keep it," was all the queen would tell him. That secret, once revealed, had cost her everything that mattered to Regina. It set her upon a path she did not want nor choose. Queen Regina was simply removing the last vestige of what she had hated most about her life.

The Huntsman then proved that he had not backed out of their deal. He presented to her the box with the cut out heart. The Queen smiled. Snow White was no more, her vengeance was complete. Regina took the heart from the box and went to her vault. The vault was a collection of small drawers, many of which were filled with the extracted hearts of her victims.

Her dark magic allowed her to remove hearts of any person or creature that had one. Once removed the heart was enchanted allowing her to either kill the victim instantly or to keep them alive and enthrall them. The drawers which held the hearts were differentiated from the others by the red, pulsing glow of the enchantment.

Regina put the heart up to the drawer where she was to store it. Nothing happened. The drawer was to have magically opened to receive the disembodied organ, but it did not. This was the moment when she knew her Huntsman had become sheep.

"THIS IS NOT HER HEART!" she roared with unbridled fury. "THIS IS NOT A HUMAN HEART!"

The Huntsman confessed that he could not go through with it.

This only enraged Regina even more. She would not be denied her prize. Regina was going to take a heart, even it wasn't Snow White's. Using her dark magic powers, The Evil Queen plunged her hand into The Huntsman's chest and extracted his own heart, enchanting it. It glowed and pulsed. Yet the man did not die. Instead he was now her pet.

"And if you try to betray me, all I have to do is squeeze," Regina said, applying pressure to his heart.

The Huntsman collapsed. His chest turned instantly painful, as though he were having a massive coronary. When she released, the excruciating pain abated.

"You are mine now, and you will do anything I say." Two guards burst into the room and took The Huntsman into custody. "Take him to my bedchamber," the queen ordered. As The Huntsman was dragged out of the room, The Evil Queen placed his enchanted heart into the vault where it would be held forever.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma and Graham had retreated to the safety of the sheriff's office. He was gently blotting the blood from the wounds on her face. Wounds she had received during the altercation she had with Mayor Mills. "I know what it feels like," Emma said sympathizing. "You would rather feel nothing than be hurt."

Graham smiled. Emma felt for him. The two leaned in closely and kissed, this time both consented. When they did, all of Graham's memories from his previous life in The Enchanted Forest came flooding back.

"Thank you," he told Emma, "I remember everything."

**~O~**

At the mausoleum, Mayor Mills had returned. She went inside and put the flowers on the crypt of her father, Henry Mills. She had named her adopted son after him. Regina then leaned into the crypt and pushed it aside. Underneath was a secret staircase. She descended those stairs into her private vault. The very same vault she kept in her castle in The Enchanted Forest.

The tiny drawer containing Graham's heart magically slid open. Graham was The Huntsman back in their world. Regina took the heart into her hand. It pulsed with a red glow. She wept. Graham had filled a need in her life. A desperate need. But now she had lost him to Emma. Regina couldn't let Emma win. She could not lose her control over anyone. So Regina squeezed on the heart. She squeezed until she crushed it, turning it to dust which flowed through her fingers.

**~O~**

At that very moment, Graham was about to kiss Emma again. He suddenly fell to the ground, grabbing at his chest. He was in tremendous pain, as if he were having a massive heart attack.

"Graham?" she yelled. Emma held him, trying to prop him up, but his agony only got worse. Then he collapsed to the ground. She tried to revive him, called out his name several times, but nothing worked. Sheriff Graham was dead.

Though Emma did not know it, when Regina crushed his heart it ended his life.

**~O~**

The ambulance from Storybrooke General Hospital raced to the Sheriff's station, but none of the EMT's could revive the sheriff. He was declared dead on the scene and his body was taken back to the hospital and moved to the morgue. Emma couldn't understand it. He looked so healthy and vibrant.

When she went home later that night, she told Mary Margaret that Graham had died of a heart attack. Her roommate was stunned by this news. She had known Graham for a very long time. For as long as she could remember. Emma was told that Graham had visited Mary Margaret earlier and that he had seemed feverish then. This led Emma to wonder if Graham's heart attack was brought on by a virus or bacteria. The autopsy found neither and it was determined that the coronary was most likely precipitated by stress.

Emma was left with so many unanswered questions. What did he mean by "he remembered everything?" Why was he so certain that his heart had been taken? Where did the wolf that they both saw come from and where did it go? Unfortunately for her, these questions would remain unanswered as the only person who could shed any light on them was now long gone.

* * *

**Okay, this concludes the events from Episode 7, but more chapters are coming. During the run of Season 1, Episode seven served as a mid season finale. The series went on hiatus for a few weeks before returning to complete its twenty two episode run. Within the context of the show, two weeks pass between the conclusion of Episode 7 and the beginning of Episode 8. What follows in the upcoming chapters are events that will occur during those two weeks.**

**Please stay tuned as a huge change is coming. One that will shake up the status quo for our favorite never fairies.**

**I hope you are enjoying the story of the never fairies in Storybrooke so far. Please leave a review. Thanks.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 7**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia went to Kelly and Fairy Morrison. She asked them about real purple feathers being a privilege. They confirmed what she had been told by Festus. But then she learned something else. Something truly damning.

"You should have been told from the beginning," Kelly added. "Every new fast flyer is made aware from the outset that the feathers they initially earn are painted pigeon feathers. After the flyer has proven him or herself worthy, they are given the real feathers."

Kelly then excused himself to bring the replacements. Because Vidia had found herself in the middle of all of this, Morrison told Kelly to bring one more. "She deserves it," the guild master told him.

"So does this mean I'm in good standing with the guild?" she asked them.

"You've always been in good standing with us," Morrison replied. "This just means you're no longer wet behind the wings." This was a phrase akin to "wet behind the ears." She wasn't a rookie anymore. The hazing was over and advanced training would soon begin. This time, Fairy Morrison would oversee it personally.

"Swift and Festus should have given you the real feathers some time ago. They were probably just stringing you along until you were at your most emotionally vulnerable," Morrison told Vidia. "They need you to be attached to them with your heart, not your mind. Strong emotions can cloud your judgment, it makes it harder to apply reason and logic. It also makes it easier to be controlled."

Kelly returned promptly, exchanging all of Vidia's fakes with genuine fast flyer purple feathers. Plus the extra one that Fairy Morrison asked for.

"You have everything it takes to be the greatest," Morrison added. "I'll see to it you get there."

**~O~**

Vidia was excited to receive her new feathers. But the knowledge that Festus and Swift lied to her again broke her heart. She was now more confused than ever about whom she should believe, or side with. Or if she should take any side at all. The love she felt was still there, though it was now tempered with a growing sense of betrayal. She returned to the stockade hoping for more answers.

"Look, they're real," she told him. "I'm not a rookie any more, I'm one of you."

"Congratulations, sweetie," Festus answered. "I'm so proud of you. We knew this moment would come. I just wish I could have been there with you."

"It's okay," she said. "But why didn't you tell me that the originals were fake? Fairy Morrison said every flyer knows from the beginning."

"Of course we told you," Swift answered sharply.

Festus, however, turned to his friend with a terrified look. "You did tell her?"

"I think I may have forgotten that," he admitted. He turned back to Vidia. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I was just so tickled at having the greatest talent Pixie Hollow has ever known in our very own guild that it must have slipped my mind. Please…, please can you forgive me?"

Vidia remembered what Fairy Morrison had told her. Strong emotions can override logic and reason. Yet, his excuse seemed to make sense. She smiled at him. "There is nothing to forgive."

"You're the best, Vidia," he answered. Festus pressed his face through the bars as far as he could. Vidia leaned in close and kissed him.

"Okay, okay, that's enough of that," one of the scouts told them. Close contact of this sort was not allowed between visitors and prisoners. Vidia was then searched for any contraband that might have been given to her. Festus was also searched for anything he might have received. This was the reason for the rule, to avoid such illicit transactions. Nothing, though, was found on either of them.

"Go, my love," Festus whispered to her. "Don't let our movement falter."

"I won't" she answered, doe eyed.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

A joyous morning turned sour the instant the residents of Storybrooke learned that Sheriff Graham had passed away last night from a massive heart attack. His death cast a dark shadow over the entire town. Everyone was in shock. It numbed the senses and some, like Leroy, took to the bar for some drink. He and others like him felt a need to drown their sorrows.

Graham was well liked in the town, making it harder for everyone to accept his sudden death. Granny and Ruby were a little slow in opening the diner this morning. The usual gang showed up for breakfast, but the one stool that remained empty was Graham's, who always came in for a good meal when the diner opened each day. The cook even made Graham's favorite plate until he remembered that the Sheriff was dead. Just force of habit, Granny supposed.

The sheriff's office was not quiet at all. Many citizens called up Deputy Emma Swan to both offer condolences and to find out why and how it happened. "I have no idea," she said to each new caller. "It just came out of nowhere."

Such a reply only made his loss that much harder to accept. Why it had to be such a good and well liked person was beyond anyone's comprehension. Emma, for her part, made her daily rounds. It was clear, though that her heart just wasn't into it today. Her mind still wrestled with all of the unanswered questions that surrounded Graham's sudden death.

Mayor Mills appeared the most devastated. She cried at the council meeting when she asked for a moment of silence to remember their fallen sheriff. These were crocodile tears, of course, though only she knew. The other members of the town council had a hard time holding back. Their sympathy at his loss was very real.

Only one other person in town seemed to know what happened. That was Henry Mills, the Mayor's son. Though he was sharply aware no one in town would believe him.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

A few moments after Vidia had gone Festus and Swift began talking again. They spoke rather quietly to prevent the scouts and sentries from hearing them. "She's all in."

"Yes. When we go to court she'll be our ally on the witness stand," Swift said in agreement. "The most talented and famous fairy in all of Pixie Hollow testifying on our behalf will be hard to ignore."

Festus replied by saying, "I'll coach her up. Convince her that what she has seen of Fairy Morrison proves his senility. The queen will have no choice, but to retire him."

"That will leave the guild without leadership," Swift correctly observed. "Then our people will promote Vidia for the new guild overseer."

"Once installed, she'll be ours to control."

"Can you keep stringing her along?"

"Oh she's mine already," Festus admitted. "I'll even start to cry, telling her how I'm not worthy of her greatness. When she tells me how much she loves me, I'll ask for her hand in marriage. That will ensure Vidia remains ours forever. And heck, I'll even get a few good rolls in the hay with that nice piece of petunia. Win-win."

What neither of them knew was that Vidia was nearby, listening. When she received her new feathers, Vidia was certain of their innocence. What she had been told of the feathers and the hazing ritual was proven right. However, Fairy Morrison's comment about trying to win her over with strong emotions managed to put enough doubt into her head that she was no longer sure of anything. Vidia then decided to hide close enough to the entrance to listen in on their conversations without being seen. It was Fairy Morrison's idea. He knew the best spot to eavesdrop even when the speech was in hushed tones. The scouts allowed it because they had been informed earlier by Morrison to play along.

When she took in the fullness of their plans, her heart shattered. She felt so completely betrayed by them. Swift and Festus had been using her all this time. She was being groomed to be their puppet. Well no more. The anger welled up in her and she rocketed off to tell Fairy Morrison and Queen Clarion.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

In the Kensington household, all three women were taken aback by the news of Graham's sudden passing. Their big and festive dinner just wasn't festive anymore. Not even the much anticipated NFL games could hold their attention. Which was saying something considering that all three Kensington women were big sports fans. Claire being the biggest… and usually the loudest, too. But not on this day. She was quiet and reserved as she and her two girls tried to get through such a normally enjoyable day after such horrible news.

Valerie, whom Claire expected to be in full obnoxious mode, didn't disappoint. She had been quiet during the day, but by the evening thing changed. "Serves him right for being such a jerk."

"Valerie, that's a terrible thing to say," Claire said, reprimanding the girl.

"Oh please, he was always making my life miserable," she answered.

"How could you be so heartless?" Tina asked in disbelief.

"Humph, he was always arresting me at The Rabbit Hole or chasing me down on my bike," she answered. "He got what he deserved."

"That is enough out of you, young lady," Claire said with a stern voice. "I will not have that kind of talk in my house."

What Claire did not realize was that Valerie was trying to emotionally separate herself from her mother and sister. Every time she thought about leaving, Val's heart would flare up with pangs of heartbreak. Leaving Claire and Tina behind was harder than she first realized. So Valerie used this occasion to try and fill her heart with anger towards her mother and sister. Hopefully, they would become so angry with her they would welcome her departure.

"Fine, you don't want me here? I'll leave!"

"Oh? And just where would you go? To live under a bridge? Because that is where you will end up in no time."

"Why do you care?" Valerie spat as she stomped through the house to get away from her mother.

"I care because I am your mother," Claire shot back. "I care because you are my daughter."

"No, I'm not your daughter," Valerie yelled. "That is your perfect little daughter right there." She pointed at Tina. "I'm just some girl you adopted so you could feel all mommy inside."

"That doesn't even make sense," Claire responded. Valerie ran up the stairs. "Don't you dare run away from me, young lady. You are not leaving this house."

"I'll go wherever I damn well please. I'm not a child, I can leave when I want and there is not one damn thing you can do to stop me."

"Valerie, what has gotten into you?" Claire asked, obviously confused by this strange outburst. "You've been so good lately."

That hit Valerie's angry button with a thud. "So good? You mean like your little angel over there?" she said once again motioning to Tina, who had followed them up the stairs. "Do you want to know what she's been up to lately?"

"Hey!" Tina interjected.

"She and her boy toy, Clarence have been planning on having sex and getting preggers," Valerie said with an in your face attitude.

"Don't you dare say that about my little girl," Claire answered back with repugnance. "She is sweet and innocent and young. Nothing like you. I would figure you for getting into that kind of trouble, but not my little Tina."

"And that is another thing!" Valerie yelled. "You always assume the worst of me. She can do no wrong, I can do no right. Well to hell with both of you. I'm getting out of this house of horrors and going someplace where I will be appreciated and loved."

"You're appreciated and loved right here," Claire shouted back. "But you are just too stupid to realize that."

"Stupid?! Stupid?! Now I'm the stupid one, too?" Valerie stopped talking and ducked into her room. She started cleaning out her drawers and stuffing her clothes into the saddle bags for her motorcycle. "Well, if I'm too stupid why did you adopt me? If I'm so stupid why didn't you send me back when you found out?"

"You are not stupid," Claire conceded. "You're just-."

Valerie cut her off. "YOU JUST CALLED ME STUPID RIGHT NOW!"

"You know what you are?" Claire shouted back. "You're a prideful little monster who deserves every bad thing she gets."

Valerie stood nose to nose with her mother and said, "Screw you."

"Get out!" Claire shouted.

"That's right, I'm getting out," Valerie yelled back. "I'm getting out because you never loved me, you never wanted me, you should have just let me sit in that orphanage and let me rot. It would have been far better than this crap hole."

"GET OUT!" Claire shrieked. "GET OUT. I DIDN'T WANT YOU! I NEVER WANTED YOU!"

"Mom?" Tina whimpered. "You never wanted her?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Valerie said angry, but pleased that she had been right all along. She finished packing her bags. Then Valerie opened a small coffee can which had been hidden from view. From it she pulled several huge wads of cash. They were thick rolls of hundreds, fifties and twenties which she then stuffed into her pockets. The older girl then slung her saddle bags and a backpack over her shoulder and started for the door. "You can kiss my ass goodbye on the way out, for all I care."

Valerie stormed passed her mother and shoved her "perfect" sister to the ground.

Claire went to the little girl and grabbed her into her arms. "Did she hurt you, baby?"

"Mom, you're not going to let her leave, are you?" Tina asked. Claire did nothing but hold onto her youngest. "Mom? Don't you care?"

Claire snapped out of the moment. The kitchen door slammed closed. "Oh my God. Valerie. What have I done? VALERIE!" Claire ran down the stairs, calling out the name of her oldest. "Valerie? Val, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. Let me explain."

The roar of Val's motorcycle could be heard throughout the entire house. "VALERIE?!" Claire shrieked again. "VALERIE! STOP!" The mother of two stepped out of the back door just in time to see Val rocket off on her motorcycle. Claire chased after the girl on foot, but the motorcycle was blasting down the block.

"VALERIE-E!" Claire shouted one last time. She ran back towards the garage. "Lock the door and get into the truck."

"What?" Tina asked, not quite keeping up after seeing her sister just up and leave this way.

"Lock the damned door and get into the truck," Claire shouted. Tina did as instructed. Claire jumped into her work vehicle and started the engine. She put it into reverse and began to back out of the driveway. Tina had to run and catch up. The truck stopped momentarily to let her in, then Claire shot down the street giving chase to her wayward daughter.

The mother of two couldn't understand what had gotten into her eldest. Maybe it was the stress of Graham's death. She didn't know, but Valerie had to be stopped so Claire could explain herself. But the motorcycle was faster than the truck.

Hope, however, diminished as Valerie pulled father and farther ahead.

* * *

**I hope you like this new chapter. Sorry for the evil cliffhangers, but there is lot more to come in the next chapter. So stay tuned.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 7, Chapter 8**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

In a matter of weeks Swift and Festus were brought before the queen and the fairy council to answer for their charges of attempted insurrection. Several of their former comrades turned state's evidence in exchange for leniency. Vidia, on the hand was cleared of all charges largely because she had been so badly manipulated. It had never been her intent to commit insurrection.

Fairy Morrison pleaded to the queen on Vidia's behalf.

_"She is still so very young, Your Highness," he told her. "Most of what she learned about right and wrong she got from Swift and Festus. They corrupted her with so many lies and so much emotional abuse."_

_"Yes, and whose fault is that?" Clarion responded. _

_Indeed, Fairy Morrison was at fault for not being more active in her training. Though he argued that he was unaware of the underground movement headed by those two. Kelly, who had been approached by them early on was acting as a double agent for the queen. He was the first to break the news to Morrison. That information lead to the confrontation in the fast flyer's private tavern._

_"I'll be taking her on as my own personal student," Morrison added. "She'll get the best training and strongest moral compass I can give her."_

_"I trust you will," Clarion replied._

Today, though, Vidia, who felt utterly betrayed and mortified at being led along so easily, offered testimony to the queen and the council. She relayed everything that had happened to her. From the fake tests, the pigeon feathers and even the contradictory statements about when new flyers were told about the plumage. She even testified to how she was manipulated.

"I was led to believe that Festus loved me. And I loved him in return. He intended for me to convince the queen of Fairy Morrison's lack of competence so he would be retired. Then I was to be installed as the new overseer, ahead of Kelly who has been in training for the job."

It was believed that by proving Fairy Morrison's mental incompetence that the queen might be persuaded to allow someone other than Kelly be overseer on the grounds that his training was at the hands of a senile old man. Kelly would not be the best candidate because he would be steeped in foolish notions handed to him by someone the queen could no longer trust.

Festus and Swift couldn't believe their ears when Vidia took the stand as a witness for the prosecution. They were certain she was on their side. She acted the part so well. Festus almost felt a surge of pride in how effectively she had played them, extracting information from them during these last few weeks for this trial. That pride, though, was quickly tempered by his own powerful sense of betrayal.

Swift, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than vengeance. His movement to force the queen to declare the Fast Flyers the superior talent guild and make inferior guilds like the Tinkers and Animal talents into servants was crashing down around them. Vidia was at the center of that maelstrom. So much testimony was given by her and Kelly that it would be impossible for either of them to receive leniency.

Yet, Queen Clarion always believed in second chances. She was quite motherly that way. Their guilt was assured. They were both certain their sentences would be permanent banishment. That was how Swift thought. Uprisings should be punished most severely. His thinking like a merciless insurrectionist and couldn't fathom the compassion of a kind and loving queen like Clarion.

Clarion announced that that Swift and Festus were to be sentenced to ten years banishment from Pixie Hollow and Never Land. Her hope was that their time away would prove to them just how much the Fast Flyers were neither superior, nor inferior, to any of the other guilds in Pixie Hollow. "After that time, if you can persuade me that you have been humbled, this queen will gladly embrace your return to our fair kingdom."

Many on the council were stunned by this. They had wanted permanent banishment, a wrathful punishment for the attempt to improperly influence the queen. Clarion, though, would have none of it. She insisted that both be given a chance to prove themselves worthy of returning to their civilization. "If they cannot convince me, then they will not be allowed to return," she assured them. This seemed to soothe their anger and reservations about the queen's leniency.

**~O~**

For his part, Fairy Morrison had already declared that Festus and Swift were no longer welcome in the Fast Flying Talent Guild and would remain outcasts even if the queen allowed for their return. This declaration could only be overruled by the Fast Flyer Guild Master or the queen herself. Fairy Morrison certainly had no intention of allowing either back into his guild so long as he was in charge. Everyone knew that. He didn't have to say anything. It was as clear as the nose on his face how much he despised those two. His loyalty to the queen and fairy law was absolute.

The two sparrow men, now found guilty, were excommunicated from Pixie Hollow. Swift and Festus, while under guard, were allowed back into their homes to collect a few personal belongings. Then they were escorted down a long pathway. Each side was lined with thousands of fairies and sparrow men who had come to watch them leave.

As both prisoners made their way down towards the exit gates, the honor guard, who were stationed along the pathway, crossed their arms and turned around, showing their backs to them. At the end of the walk, Queen Clarion and her four ministers all did the same, turning their backs to them just as both were set to exit Pixie Hollow for the last time.

During the entire sequence, not a sound could be heard except for the occasional breeze or rustling of leaves. No one spoke as the entire "ceremony" was a solemn and dark occasion. Rarely was a fairy or sparrow man ever expelled from Pixie Hollow. Expulsion was reserved only for those who had committed a high and grievous crime against queen and hollow. Something both Swift and Festus had done.

* * *

STORYBOOKE, MAINE

Valerie sped towards Kyle's house. When she checked her mirrors, though, she noticed Claire's work truck hot on her tail. Stopping at Kyle's place would mean another confrontation. Claire would blame Kyle for all of this. It was a confrontation that could easily get out of hand and one that Valerie didn't want. Her plans might be revealed and Claire would become even more furious. Val didn't need to justify herself to Claire. It all ended tonight. She would leave and neither her mother nor her perfect little sister would hear from her ever again.

Another glimpse into her rearview mirrors showed the truck further and further away. She was outpacing them. As she watched the truck's headlights continue to recede, Valerie was struck by a raw emotion. One she had not expected. Pain of heartbreak. She thought that she had built up enough anger towards her mother. She had always believed that Claire didn't want her, then those very words were actually uttered by her. It hurt Valerie so badly and in a way she could not anticipate. She thought she would be happy to hear that news. Instead she was devastated by it.

How could her own mother not want her? Not love her? Her heart broke into a million pieces. Valerie felt so terribly betrayed…, and by her own mother. Tears began to fall from her eyes and blurred her vision. Valerie had to slow her motorcycle while she cleared away the water from her eyes. It allowed Claire to catch up to her. Valerie sped up again trying to outrun her mother, yet she kept sobbing. She drove right past Kyle's home and towards the center of town. She had changed her plans, now she wanted to leave Storybrooke this instant. She would contact Kyle later and have him meet her in Boston or some other city along the way.

**~O~**

Claire tried desperately to keep up. "What's wrong with her tonight?" she asked herself. "Why is she leaving me?"

"Us, Mom," Tina corrected. "She is leaving both of us."

"What? Oh yes, of course, sweetheart."

The truck tried to keep up with the motorcycle, but the old work horse just wasn't built for speed or acceleration. Then, suddenly, Val's motorcycle apparently slowed down. It gave Claire the opportunity she needed to catch up. "What is she doing?"

Moments later it sped up again, outdistancing Claire. Mrs. Kensington pushed the accelerator down to the floor to get as much speed as she could. The engine roared, sounding like a giant vacuum. The motorcycle continued to disappear from view. Soon, only the glow of the taillights were visible.

**~O~**

Valerie accelerated as hard she could. Her intention was to leave Claire and Tina behind and unable to follow her. Her motorcycle blasted down Main Street in the center of town, the din of her machine filling the air wherever it went.

**~O~**

Emma Swan was sitting in her police cruiser trying to enjoy a cup of coffee. Nothing tasted good today in the wake of Graham's sudden death. The day had been uneventful except for all the passersby offering condolences and asking questions. Her shift was coming to an end soon and she hoped to go home and get some much needed sleep. She had spent a good portion of last night at Graham's side while his body was at the hospital and later the morgue. The deputy, now suddenly in charge of the entire town's policing duties, was operating on less than four hours of sleep. Coffee was all she had to keep her awake.

She looked at her watch. "Just another half hour or so." It was a little hard to tell. Emma was getting bleary eyed from her long night and day. The extra stress from the last forty eight hours only added to her exhaustion.

She took another sip. It still had no taste. Seconds later a motorcycle blew right past her. The radar gun showed a ludicrous 95 mph. "What the hell?"

Emma started up her cruiser, lit up her police lights, sounded the siren and began pursuit. A mist in the air had slicked the streets, causing her wheels to spin out. It was good for her as she was nearly broadsided by another vehicle. A work truck going nearly seventy five miles per hour. She recognized this vehicle. It belonged to that single mother with two girls. Claire Kensington. The motorcycle must have been her daughter, then. Valerie, the one with the attitude.

Deputy Swan engaged pursuit of both vehicles. The mist in the night air revealed her high beams as they pierced the darkness. It also had the negative effect of slightly obscuring the two vehicles in front of her. Moments later Emma and her two targets were out of Storybrooke's business center and into a residential neighborhood. She recognized it as the road leading out of town.

What was it that Henry always told her? Bad things happen to anyone who tries to leave Storybrooke? Something definitely happened to the young maid who wanted to keep her baby. Ashley went into labor just inside the city limits. Emma remembered that conversation between Ruby and her grandmother during her second day in town. The one about how Granny's heart attack prevented Ruby from "whoring her way up down the East Coast."

And then there was that wolf. The one that caused her to swerve off the road on her first night here. She crashed her VW Bug into the town's historic sign, severely damaging. It had to be replaced by a traditional green road sign. Emma didn't believe Henry's theory, but the unusual coincidences were piling up.

The mist gave Deputy Swan a unique view of the motorcycle. She could see the glow from its headlamp and taillights at each curve and turn. They were now out of town and heading into the forested area inside the city limits. Her speed, and the speed of the truck in front of her, was now at a more reasonable 50 miles per hour. All three vehicles had to slow down to take the curves in the road. The streets were too slick and dangerous now to go any faster and still hold the turns. This allowed Emma the opportunity to overtake the truck and pursue the motorcycle directly. Her cruiser had more acceleration than Claire's old, beat up work vehicle.

**~O~**

Claire watched as the sheriff's police cruiser passed her up, getting between her own vehicle and Valerie's motorcycle. "No, get out of the way. GET OUT OF THE WAY!" she yelled.

The motorcycle raced across the old toll bridge, heading for the city limits. After the bridge was mostly a dark road surrounded by towering trees, huge boulders and rocky terrain defined by numerous drop offs reaching down six feet or more.

Tina kept watch on the dim glow of Valerie's taillight while Claire kept her eye on the road in front of her. They both heard Deputy Swan through the loudspeaker in the car. "Pull over!" The sound echoed through the forest. "Stop and pull over now."

The light beam of the motorcycle's headlamp suddenly disappeared. Then it arched from left to right, aiming up through the tall trees.

"She went off the road!" Tina shrieked.

"My baby," her mother whimpered.

The police cruiser come to a fast stop, the truck pulled in right behind it. Claire leapt out of her vehicle, grabbed a flashlight and started running down into the gulch.

"Stay in the truck," she ordered Tina. Another light lanced the darkness ahead of her. "Deputy? Deputy Swan? Is that you?"

"Watch your step!" she yelled back. Swan's flashlight swiveled around and illuminated a huge drop. Claire was standing at its very edge. "Stay there."

"No, that's my baby girl, I'm coming with you," Claire protested. She now kept her own flashlight beam aimed at the ground. Claire carefully made her way further and further down. "Valerie! Valerie, can you hear me, baby? Say something."

Both women stepped carefully. The same mist that had slicked the streets also made moving through the forest perilous. The ground and boulders were just as slippery. Moss grew everywhere in the forest and made the search that much more perilous.

"Where is she?" Claire yelled. "Valerie! It's Mom, answer me!"

Nothing could be heard but the reverberation of her own voice. The two women descended further into the treacherous woods, slipping and sliding, but always keeping their balance. Finally one of them saw the glow of the headlamp.

"There!" Emma shouted. She pointed her flashlight in the direction.

Claire spotted the luminous glowing and made for it. "Valerie?" Claire wailed, "Sweetie, Momma's coming."

Emma was the first to come upon the half shattered motorcycle. It was twisted and broken in so many places. It looked almost beyond repair. The deputy shown her flashlight in arcs from left to right looking for the girl. The wail of an approaching ambulance began to fill the air. Emma must have called it in when the Valerie went off the road, Claire reasoned. _Thank God for small favors._

The beams of light kept piercing the night, illuminating one spot and then another. This would be so much easier if it were daylight, Claire told herself. Then she caught herself and remembered why she was here.

"Right in front of you," Deputy Swan yelled. Her flashlight pointed at something less than twenty feet away. Claire shown her own light on it. It was only a fallen branch. The two kept looking. The ambulance pulled up and the two EMT's shouted down. "Deputy, where do we go?"

"We're still looking," Emma Swan shouted back. "But she is down here somewhere."

Claire shrieked, "VALERIE! NO!" Emma swung her light around and spotted the prostrate and motionless body of the girl.

"Oh please not another one," she said. Ms. Swan meant not another lost life. Claire moved in, bounding over rocks. "She is over there," Deputy Swan yelled back to the EMT's. Her flashlight marking the spot.

"Don't move her," one of the medical technicians yelled. Emma replied that she understood.

"Claire?" she called out to the distraught mother. "Claire? Did you hear that? Don't move her body."

"She's not dead!" Mrs. Kensington yelled back.

"You could kill her," Emma yelled in reply. This caught Claire's attention, who was now only five feet away from Valerie's motionless form. "She could have a broken back or neck. If you move her, that could sever the spinal cord and leave her paralyzed or end her life. So don't move her. Period."

Mrs. Kensington didn't respond. Instead she reached her little girl and cried. "Oh please don't be dead. Valerie, Mommy's here. Can you hear me? Mommy's here."

Tears streamed down Claire's cheeks like rivers. She took hold of Valerie's hand in her own, not moving or touching her girl in any other way.

**~O~**

"Claire, stop!" Emma said. She reached the distraught mother and her injured girl. Deputy Swan put a hand to Valerie's nose. She felt the warm breath. "She's still alive."

This caused Mrs. Kensington to break down almost entirely. She mumbled something, but Emma could not understand it. Swan took it to mean relief on the part of the mother. Emma could sympathize with this terrified woman. "She'll be alright, the EMT's are coming." Emma Swan then took Claire's hand in hers.

"Thank you," Claire could barely say. The horrified mother then leaned over and gingerly gave her girl a kiss on the forehead.

"What was that?" Deputy Swan said. Claire gave her a strange look. "I thought I saw…, never mind. It must be my mind playing tricks on me."

What Emma saw, or thought she saw, was a faint flash of colored light wash over Valerie's body the instant Claire give the girl a kiss. She was still holding the crying mother's hand when it happened. No one else seemed to notice it. Even Emma was not certain it happened.

Another siren approached. Another ambulance. They were probably called in to help carry Valerie back up to street level.

The four EMT's made their way down to the scene of the accident. They brought with them a hard, plastic stretcher to place Valerie's body on. They had to immobilize her first to prevent any possible damage to her spine or neck. It took close to an hour of slowly ascending the moss covered ledges and rocky terrain before the injured girl could even be put inside an ambulance. Her vitals were checked, oxygen was given and Claire had to be coaxed to offer needed information.

Finally, the emergency vehicles returned to Storybrooke General Hospital. Claire rode in one of them, accompanying Valerie. Tina drove the truck and followed them back. Deputy Swan, exhausted as she was, also returned to the hospital. From there the girl was admitted into an emergency room. Claire and Tina were forced to sit in the waiting room. Each agonizing minute felt like an hour. The worried mother did her best to calm and comfort her youngest girl. But it seemed an impossible task. Both knew what could happen.

They hoped for the best, but braced for the worst.

* * *

**I hope everyone found this chapter interesting and thrilling. This marks the first part of a huge change in the status quo. A real game changer that I hope everyone can get behind. It will also mean a little more interaction between the Disney Fairy characters and the characters from the TV show.**

**Thanks to all of my devoted readers. I would love to hear from you in the reviews section or through a PM.**

**Oncer's, what do you think so far? Enjoying this crossover? Please let me know.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Between Episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina had fallen asleep in her arms. Claire, however, could not sleep. Exhaustion demanded rest, but her worries would not allow it. She trembled on occasion and sobbed nearly as often. Her thoughts regularly going back to memories of Valerie as a child. Those precious moments long gone, but still treasured by her mother.

She remembered once when Valerie had just learned to walk. After a bath the little girl was anxious to start exploring again. The world was so new to her back then. She squirmed while Claire tried to towel her off. Charlie had gone off to work and left the front door open. Valerie managed to escape her mother's grasp and made a beeline for the open door.

She barreled through the screen door and ran naked across the front lawn. Giggling and squealing with pure delight. Claire followed, trying to catch the naked child. It still amazed her how a small girl could outrun a grown woman. Yet Claire spent two full minutes trying to reclaim her little one who had subsequently become enthralled by a fluttering butterfly and chased after it. A few passersby watched and laughed. A mother chasing a naked child chasing a butterfly. They found the scene so playfully delightful.

When Claire did manage to wrangle her little one, she scooped her up, pressed her lips against the tiny girl's belly and blew. The result was a silly little farting noise that made tiny Valerie shriek with laughter. "Oh you like that, huh?" Claire did it again, little Valerie squealed even louder. Back inside the house, Claire returned the girl to the tub to wash off the dirt that had accumulated on the little one's feet.

It was a truly wondrous moment for Claire as a mother.

Now that glorious little child who once ran naked out of the house after her bath was laying in the emergency room clinging to life. Claire had taken to sobbing again. She gently kissed the top of Tina's head. The sleeping form of her youngest never moved. The mother held on tightly to the young blonde girl. If anything happened to Valerie, Tina would be all that she would have left.

**~O~**

Deputy Swan sipped a cup of coffee from the hospital vending machine. It tasted awful. But at least she could taste something. Emma was about to keel over from the fatigue. She was trying to fill out police report forms that Graham had kept in the police cruiser. She also wanted to know the fate of the girl who had slid off the road.

The doctors said that the helmet she was wearing saved the young woman's life. It prevented a fatal head trauma. At worst, Valerie would have a severe concussion. Deputy Swan began to nod off, lack of sleep taking its toll. A ringing noise brought her back. She grabbed her cellphone. It was Mary Margaret.

"Emma where are you? You didn't come home last night," she asked.

_Last night?_ "What time is it?"

"It's almost six thirty in the morning," Mary Margaret told her.

_No wonder I'm so tired._ Emma told her roommate about the accident. "Oh my gosh, is she okay?"

"I don't know, the doctor hasn't come out of the ER yet."

"Well let me know how she's doing," Mary Margaret said. "I remember Valerie when she was in my class. She always had so much spirit."

"Yeah, well she had plenty of spirit last night," Emma said. Her tiredness short circuited her filter. Words spilled out of her mouth without thought. "Sorry. I'll call you with any news, Mary Margaret. Goodbye."

Deputy Swan looked at her watch. She could not believe it was so early in the morning. Emma had spent the entire night in the hospital and had gotten no sleep. She tried to finish the reports, but instead she pushed them aside, lay her head down and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia gently pushed a seedling through the air and towards the Pixie Dust Tree. A new fairy was about to arrive. The seedling landed gently on the arrival pad. Fairy Gary dusted the seedling and a new fairy was born. Queen Clarion greeted the new fairy the same way she had greeted Vidia. Even down to that same insipid question. "I trust you found your way alright?"

"I guess so," the newborn replied.

Everyone else giggled or gave an "aww" as the little one spoke, but not Vidia. When it came time for the new fairy to choose a talent Vidia set down a whirlwind on the magical pedestal. This brought back a bit of nostalgia as she remembered her first day. The feeling passed quickly. When the new fairy tried to select the whirling winds and it died, Vidia just sniffed and held her nose up high in the air.

It had been many years since Swift and Festus had been banished from Pixie Hollow, yet the one thing that remained within her from that experience was her sense of superiority. Fairy Morrison tried to drum it out of her, but she clung to it mightily. It made her feel good to know she and her guild were better than the others. Queen Clarion wasn't pleased by this development, but at least Vidia wasn't planning an insurrection. She simply gave everyone a bit of harmless attitude.

**~O~**

When the ten year banishment term had come to an end, Swift and Festus waited at the gates of Pixie Hollow. Scouts guided them back to the presence of Queen Clarion. They confessed to having learned their lesson well.

"We were so terribly outclassed in the world outside of Never Land," Swift answered. "There were so many things we had come to take for granted in Pixie Hollow that were not available to us."

Festus nodded in agreement. "It was difficult just to survive without the benefit of the other guilds to support us."

"Your Highness, we humbly ask to be reinstated as sparrow men of the realm of Pixie Hollow," Swift asked, both down on one knee. "Our mistake was made known to us. Our lesson has been learned. Neither of us shall act in any way superior ever again."

After a short pause, the queen answered, "Welcome back, my children. You have come home."

**~O~**

A party was held in their honor. Two wayward sons of Pixie Hollow had returned, ready to once again be good members of the fairy family. It was not unlike the biblical tale of the prodigal son. They were greeted enthusiastically by just about everyone. Only Fairy Morrison kept his distance.

"Why do you not receive them with good cheer?" Queen Clarion asked her fast flying guild master.

"I don't trust them," he answered. "They lie, cheat and manipulate others. How do we know that they didn't do that to survive in the outside world?"

"And who would they have manipulated?"

"I don't know, but minds like theirs always find someone," Morrison answered. "My apologies, Your Highness, but I refuse them entry back into the guild."

"I see."

"You could force me to take them back," he added.

"I choose not to," Clarion replied. "I would prefer you learn to trust them on your own. Forcing the issue would only engender more resentment. I prefer harmony over friction."

"The queen is wise," Fairy Morrison said.

Clarion acknowledged him with a nod and then returned to the festivities.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Mrs. Kensington?" the doctor called. "Mrs. Kensington it is Dr. Whale."

Claire opened her eyes. She had finally drifted into sleep. Her dreams vanished, but she could still feel their essence. Memories of her beautiful girl evaporating before her very eyes.

"Wake up, sweetheart," she whispered to her sweet blonde child. Tina stirred and sat up groggily.

Dr. Whale pulled up a chair and sat down directly in front of Mrs. Kensington. His first words were reassuring. "It was a miracle," he began. "I don't know how, but Valerie came away from that awful spill with only a broken wrist, a few minor internal injuries and a concussion. She is going to be fine."

Claire burst into tears of relief and joy. Dr. Whale put his arms around the distressed mother and held her tightly.

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much," Claire wailed.

**~O~**

Deputy Swan was jostled awake by a nurse who brought her the good news. Emma grabbed her police reports and went into the waiting room to speak with Mrs. Kensington. She was greeted with the sight of Dr. Whale embracing the crying mother. Deputy Swan sat down next to Mrs. Kensington. A fresh, but still lousy cup of coffee in hand. She set it down on the end table next to her and put a comforting arm on the crying woman.

Dr. Whale gently pulled away from Mrs. Kensington and said. "You can see her soon. She is being moved into the ICU. A nurse will take you back there when she is ready."

"Okay," Claire squeaked.

Whale returned to his duties. "Mrs. Kensington, are you alright?" Emma asked.

"Oh, Deputy Swan, Valerie is going to be alright," Claire said. The two mothers embraced with the joyous news. "My baby is going to be alright," Claire wailed again.

"Yes, she is, Claire. Yes she is." After a short pause, the young woman added. "Call me Emma."

**~O~**

After more waiting, Claire and her youngest were escorted down the hall and into another room. They sat and waited again in a different place. A television was on with a news report detailing the accident which nearly claimed the life of her girl.

Claire watched intently as the newsman gave an account of the incident. The news report ended with, "Valerie Kensington was admitted to Storybrooke General Hospital last night in critical condition. Her current status is unknown at this time."

But it was known, to Claire and Tina at least. Valerie was going to make it. She would be fine and would probably come home soon. Then a random thought entered Claire's head. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and all the schools and town buildings were closed for the day. Tina wouldn't miss any classes and she wouldn't have to miss a day on the job at Town Hall. Even with insurance, this was going to cost her dearly. She could no longer afford to lose that much coveted contract with the city of Storybrooke. Without out it…, without it life would become impossibly difficult.

"Mrs. Kensington, if you would follow me," a nurse instructed. Claire and her daughter followed the white clad nurse into the Intensive Care Unit. She walked through hallways lined with the sick and the injured. Long curtains hanging from sliding tracks attached to the ceiling provided minimal privacy. The room was cold and the sounds of ventilators, staff calling out instructions, carts being wheeled about and heart monitors beeping filled the room. Yet even with such noise, the room was oddly rather quiet.

At the end of the hallway was her daughter. Claire stopped dead in her tracks. There was Valerie lying unconscious on a hospital bed and dressed in a simple cloth gown. Wires and sensors reached out to her like tentacles and were attached to her body. Heart and respiration monitors, a brain tissue oxygen monitor, an EEG machine, blood / oxygen sensors, an EKG machine, a blood pressure cuff and a pulse rate monitor and more were all positioned nearby or were directly attached to Valerie. Tubes fed oxygen into her nose and IV's brought much needed fluids and medicines into her blood stream.

Claire had to turn away from this horror. She buried her face into her hands and cried. The sight of her baby girl in such a bad way was too much for her to take in all at once.

"She'll be okay, Mom." Tina reminded her. Claire could only nod. Moments later she stood tall again and drew in deep breaths to compose herself. She turned around again and was able to look at her girl. The shock was still there, but not as intense. Mrs. Kensington walked to the bedside and sat down next to Valerie. She took the young woman's hand in her own and said, "Valerie? It's Mom. It's Mommy. I'm here sweetheart. The doctor says you're going to be okay. Please be okay. Let's forget the past. I just want you to come home."

**~O~**

Good mothers never abandon their children. Claire was one of those good mothers who remained seated by her daughter's side all day long. Tina brought her food from the hospital commissary and drinks from a nearby vending machine.

Mrs. Kensington kept watch on the monitors and asked questions from every nurse and technician who came by to get a reading. "How is she doing?" she would ask.

The nurses and techs were used to this response from friend and family who were still in shock. "She's going to fine, the readings look good," they would tell her.

In the middle of the afternoon, Claire received a shock. "Hartley?"

"Hello, Claire. How are you holding up?"

She responded by taking him into her arms and holding tight. She kissed the man she had been dating for his thoughtfulness. Claire wasn't expecting him to show up today. Or any day. Yet here he was, concerned for her well-being and Valerie's.

**~O~**

Tina wore a look of shock on her face. She had never seen her mother kiss another man since her father had passed away. Not only did her mother kiss him, but kissed him passionately on the lips. Then they hugged just like her mother and father used to. It was a moment she disliked intently. But she held her tongue. Valerie was the greater concern. Tina concluded that the stress was getting to her mother and that when this was all over so would all this hugging and kissing.

* * *

INSIDE VALERIE'S MIND

She could hear voices. Many of them. And sounds which she could not place.

At first they were distant. Then they came closer, into greater clarity. People chatting in the background and a constantly recurring sound, like a tweeting.

_What is that, a bird_, she asked herself.

It couldn't be a bird. It repeated itself with such precision.

_Where am I?_ She could not see anything. Only the sounds around her were registering.

More voices. Someone spoke, saying the word "nurse." It was Queen Clarion.

_I must be in the healing ward_, she said. The nursing talents were tending to her, but the voice was unfamiliar.

Another voice, _Tinker Bell!_ And now Lord Milori, too. _What is he doing here? Why is he here?_

_Who is Hartley? _

A man spoke, she could not identify him. Queen Clarion addressed him as Dr. Whale.

_Who is Doctor Whale? __Wait, did he just call the queen 'Mrs. Kensington?' And who is Valerie?  
_

She desperately wanted to move, to open her eyes. Too look around and ask questions. She could not.

_What's going on?_

The voices began to recede. _Am I dreaming? Maybe I'm asleep._

The sounds drifted away and soon her consciousness drifted away as well.

* * *

**Okay, here it is, the big moment. Thanks to Mastermind4892 for that incredible review. It was beautiful. And thanks to everyone who has been reading, leaving reviews and has made this story a favorite or marked it follow. I am very appreciative of my fans. Thank you all so very much.**

**Let me know what you think so far. **


	44. Chapter 44

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Restoration Period on the Mainland)

Vidia was out flying, racing dragonflies as they zipped through the air.

"Think you can keep up with me?" she asked them in a snide voice. "C'mon, see if you've got what it takes to fly with the best."

Several of the dragonflies took off after her, ready to show her who was the true master of the air. She held her own for a good while, the race seemingly very close. Then, she launched high into the air at top speed, leaving the poor creatures in her wake. The dragonflies had come to despised her for this. She was toying with them, leading them to believe they had a chance when they never did.

"Not exactly a fair race," a familiar voice said.

Vidia looked over and saw Fairy Morrison hovering near the treetops. "You need to learn to be humble, Vidia. Or you are going to lose all of your friends."

"I am humble. I'm humble enough to know that no one can outfly me," she said with a superior tone.

"That'll be enough out of your, girl," Morrison said firmly. "You're turning into the likes of Swift and Festus. Keep this up and you'll be the one kicked out of Pixie Hollow."

"Humph," was her reaction. "I'm not inciting anything. I just know we are the best guild and I'm the best talent in all of Pixie Hollow. But I guess it's too much for an ordinary sparrow man like you to understand."

"Oh, I understand, alright," he countered. "I understand that if you keep this up, you'll be living in the sour plumb tree with your two friends."

Since Fairy Morrison refused to allow either Swift or Festus back into the guild, they were consigned to live in the sour plumb tree overlooking the tall piney woods that was the home to the fast flyers. The scraggly tree was where all the banished outcasts of the fast flying talent guild were forced to live.

"Now get your head out of your petunia and learn that you're no different from anyone else in this world," he said with a stern bellow.

Vidia opened her mouth to respond with a snarky comeback. Her acerbic nature had found an outlet in her quick wit and cutting rejoinders. Unfortunately, Vidia couldn't get out the words she had on her mind. The shrieking sound of a hawk cut them off.

"FLY!" Fairy Morrison shouted. He pointed to a tree. "Get into that knothole and don't come out until I give the all clear."

Vidia, who feared no fairy or animal except the hawk lit off as quick as she could. She ducked into the safety of the knot hole. When she looked back, Vidia saw Fairy Morrison preparing to engage the winged predator.

**~O~**

The hawk had spotted the two fairies and circled around to dive up on them. One zipped into a hole in a tree. The other, however, stood his ground. Easy prey. The hawk folded in its wings and dove upon its next meal.

**~O~**

"You're mine," Fairy Morrison growled. The fast flyer guild master hated this bird with a passion. It had killed so many good fairies and sparrow men over the centuries. Some from his own guild. Morrison wanted to see it put down for good, but it wasn't the fairy way. Not the way that Queen Clarion espoused. Morrison had always followed the queen's laws, but he chafed against this one. He was sick of ducking for cover then waiting for someone to die.

The idea that one should be sacrificed so that others could live in safety was repugnant. A fairy didn't always die when the hawk appeared, but it happened often enough. Today, Fairy Morrison decided enough was enough. Now it was threatening his very own student and the best talent Pixie Hollow had ever known. Why the queen thought allowing fairies to perish at the claws of this devil was acceptable was beyond him. Today no one would perish except for this demon bird.

Morrison snatched a piece of branch and trimmed it down into a fairy size sword. "You have had the run of the place for as long as I can remember," the guild master shouted. "You're a coward. A damned coward. You prey on creatures too small to defend themselves against you and call it fair game. Not anymore. Today no one dies but you."

The hawk completed its turn and dove on his position, screeching like the sounds of Hell itself.

Fairy Morrison didn't fear this bird. The bird should fear him. Morrison then cried out defiantly, "Fill your claws you son of a bitch!" He then shot skyward to meet his enemy in single combat.

**~O~**

Vidia burst into the Pixie Dust Tree, the audience chamber where the queen was in conference with the four ministers and Fairy Mary. The young fast flyer was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion," the Minister of Spring bellowed.

"Please, Minister!" the queen said, chiding him. "Vidia, what is the problem, dear?"

Fairy Mary flew over and to help Vidia stay on her feet. "It's okay, take your time," Mary said in her Lancashire accent.

"Fa…, Fair…," Vidia stuttered. Another gulp of breath. "Fairy Morrison…is dead."

The queen and her advisors all gasped, stunned by the terrible news. "How?" Clarion asked.

"The…, the hawk."

"Oh dear," Fairy Mary whimpered. "Oh dear me."

Queen Clarion turned around to hide her emotions from the others. She deduced what had happened. Fairy Morrison had always wanted to kill that hawk. He must have decided to take on the vicious raptor.

"What about the hawk," the Minister of Autumn asked Vidia. "What happened to it?"

"Injured. Badly," Vidia managed to get out. "Fairy Morrison impaled it with a stick."

Scouts later reported that they had found the hawk lying on the ground. It fluttered its wings trying to get airborne, but could not. It had been stuck through the heart by a branch fashioned into a weapon. Morrison's body was found in the clutches of the hawk. He had sacrificed his life to put an end to the life of Never Land's most feared predator.

By nightfall, the hawk was dead and the fast flying guild was without a guild overseer. In a conference the next morning it was decided that Kelly be named the new guild master of the fast flyers. He had been Fairy Morrison's understudy for many years and had proven himself whenever Morrison left him in charge during vacation days or when Fairy Morrison was assigned to the mainland for the summer season.

**~O~**

The installation of a new guild master was a grand celebration. Kelly, who took the title 'Fairy' of an overseer, received the symbol of all talent guild overseers. A sash, which was entirely ceremonial. No one very actually wore it after the gala. The queen wanted something that separated the overseers from the rank and file. The sash was the perfect icon. An emblem that would bring dignity to the office.

Everyone was in attendance, including Vidia. Though she was her noticeably haughty self. Queen Clarion was disappointed that she wasn't more sociable. Her growing sense of self superiority troubled the queen. It left her wondering what would become of her greatest talent. Did superior talent naturally breed superior contempt for others?

Swift and Festus were not particularly well talented amongst their own, yet they certainly had the idea of superiority in their minds. Clarion then wondered if perhaps Vidia was withdrawing because of so many bad experiences in her young life. She approached the young one where she had taken refuge, on a darkened veranda overlooking the distant Winter Woods.

"What troubles you, my dear?" she asked Vidia.

"Nothing. Go away," Vidia spat.

"Would you like to talk?"

Vidia kept silent.

"You do not have to think of me as your queen. Just as Clarion, your friend."

Vidia nearly choked on her own tongue. "Oh really? My friend? Do you work in the hot sun like the rest of us? Do you have clear wings on your back? Oh wait, I know. You go out every weekend and get falling down drunk on sweet ale. Then you spend the rest of the night singing shanty songs until you pass out."

"I don't do any of those things, Vidia."

"And why not?"

"Because I am the queen."

"Exactly. You can't be my friend. No matter what you will always be the high and mighty queen who sets herself above the rest of us. Pfft, friend. That's a laugh."

"Very well," Clarion replied. She could not force the girl to talk about her innermost feelings. Clarion turned and began to slowly flutter away, hoping that Vidia would wish to talk anyway. Not a sound came from the young fairy. Clarion sighed and shook her head. "If you ever need to speak with me, Vidia…"

"I know where you live," she replied harshly. "It's not like it's a state secret or anything."

"No…, no I suppose it isn't."

_So much anger and resentment in that one_, the queen thought to herself. _I do wish you would open up to me, dear. Let me be a beacon of light in your self-imposed darkness._

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The evening news reports were declaring that Valerie Kensington had an excellent prognosis. "She is expected to fully recover," the news anchor declared with a smile.

"Oh that must be good news for her family," the other news anchor said with a chipper voice. Then they went on to another news of the day. "The funeral for Sheriff Graham Humbert has been scheduled for Monday morning. Services will begin at eight a.m. at the church. Sheriff Humbert, you will remember, died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday night."

Claire didn't seem to care so much about the sheriff. She had other things on her mind. Valerie was still unconscious. The trauma to her head was described as severe, but not life threatening by the neurologist. An MRI had shown no permanent damage. This was a relief to Claire who couldn't fathom losing her child in a whole different way.

After his shift had ended, Clarence visited to see how Tina and Claire were holding up.

"As best as can be expected," Claire answered.

"Anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Oh yes, please. Go to our house, make sure everything that should be off is turned off and that the outdoor security lights are on. Then check that all the doors are locked," she replied. Mrs. Kensington left home so quickly she didn't even remember what the state of her own home was. Her thoughts were so filled with anxiety over Valerie that she had not even considered it until just now.

Tina gave him Valerie's set of house keys. He took them and slipped them into his pocket.

"I'll bring these right back," he responded. Clarence then spoke briefly with Tina. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…, I just can't believe this is all happening right now," she answered. "It just feels so unreal."

Clarence gave her a hug. "You'll be fine. You're mother has been through worse. And if you need anything, just call me."

"I will, thanks." Tina tried to smile, but it was weak and forced.

Clarence didn't take exception to it. He knew how tight a family they had been. Seeing Valerie in such a vulnerable state had to take its toll. The boy then placed a quick peck on Tina's cheek.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Kensington," Clarence said. The boy then left to check on their house just as Claire had asked.

**~O~**

At the end of the day Claire was told that visiting hours were over. "Can't I stay the night? What if she wakes up? She'll want to see a familiar face."

"It will be okay, Mrs. Kensington," the nurse assured her. "Doctors and nurses will attend to her all night long. If anything changes we'll call you right away." The nurse then added. "I understand how you feel, Mrs. Kensington, I wouldn't want to leave if it was my daughter, either. But you should go home and get some rest."

Claire nodded. "Okay." She leaned over her daughter. "I'm going home tonight, sweetheart. But Mommy's not leaving you, okay? I'll be back early in the morning. Goodnight, baby."

She kissed her unconscious girl on the forehead before leaving. Claire kept looking over her shoulder as she walked away. Tina was close at hand, looking ever so shaken by the events of the last few hours. The fight between Valerie and her mother, the chase, the accident and then her mother and Hartley kissing like she loved him. Her whole life was turning upside down.

**~O~**

The two Kensington women drove home, both in a daze. Tina went into her room, Claire tucked her in. "Are you going to be okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah, Mom," the little girl replied. "I'll be fine."

"Okay," Claire answered. "But if you need anything I'll be down the hall."

Tina nodded. Then she curled up and tried to sleep.

Claire gently closed the door to Tina's bedroom. Then, by force of habit she opened up Valerie's bedroom door to check on her. The empty bed was a harsh reminder. Claire closed the bedroom door and went into her own room where she slid down against the wall, broke down and cried.

Moments later, Tina was standing in the open doorway. "Mom, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, sweetie. Go to sleep, Mommy's alright."

Tina, though didn't leave. Instead, she helped Claire into the bed and then crawled in with her. Not unlike those years long ago when she was little girl who climbed in with her mother and Charlie seeking comfort. Tonight though both sought comfort and support from the other. Claire wrapped her arms around her precious baby and held her tightly. The two Kensington women, mother and daughter, eventually fell asleep holding each other in solidarity against their shared harsh reality.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and for your wonderful reviews. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. There is a John Wayne movie reference in this one.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover  
Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Glorious Revolution on the Mainland)

Vidia was enjoying a nice drink at the fast flyer's tavern. Most of her guild was in attendance celebrating another successful season. The nature talents had returned from bringing autumn to the mainland. It was Vidia's first trip there. A magical moment for her.

The culmination of her first foray to mainland came when she turned a powerful westerly wind to the east. History would record that a change in the winds from the west to the east in the autumn of that year allowed William of Orange to sail from the Netherlands to invade England during what became known as The Glorious Revolution, the bloodless restoration of a Protestant monarch to the throne of England.

Vidia had no interest in the religions or politics of the humans. In fact, she wasn't even aware of the events which were occurring on the mainland at this time. None of the fairies knew. She was merely doing her job and enjoying herself in the process. Vidia was excited to be on the mainland because she was finally able to put her talents to use beyond just gathering pollen and practicing whirlwinds. Many of her friends came by to congratulate her afterwards.

"Hey, Vidia. Good job back there," one told her.

"Nice work," another said. "Can't wait to see what you do for spring."

The young fairy was so proud of herself. Full of herself may have been the better phrase for it.

At the height of the revelry Fairy Kelly entered and banged a pair of acorn cups on the table to get everyone's attention. "Good evening, everyone," he began.

Kelly opened with a short speech in which he offered his best regards to all of the guild for their hard work leading up to the season. He singled out several for their efforts. Conspicuously, Vidia was overlooked. She felt slighted, particularly since her first outing was such a rousing success. She would soon learn why.

Fairy Kelly then moved on to another subject. "In the spirit of forgiveness and unity, this guild overseer has decided to put an end to the enmity that this guild has held against its former members. Today we reconcile with our lost brothers. Please welcome back into the guild Swift and Festus."

The members of the guild cheered the decision. Despite their attempt to improperly influence the queen, the two were still held in high regard within their own guild. Their message of superiority had met with a good deal of acceptance. Not everyone liked the idea, though. A few were suspicious of this move. Vidia, for one, had always kept her distance from them. Her hatred for the two was quite well known throughout all of Pixie Hollow.

"Before anyone objects," Kelly stated, "Swift and Festus are not the same sparrow men you remember. They have given up their wicked ways and promise to never again act as they had before. No insurrections shall be attempted and they will offer their full respect and fidelity to the queen."

A rousing cheer filled the tavern. A handful offered restrained applause, they did not like the pair, but were willing to give them a chance to prove themselves. Only Vidia was unwilling to welcome them back into the fold, even conditionally. Fairy Kelly continued to vouch for the returning twosome. "Queen Clarion has seen fit to allow them to return to our world. We should follow her example and embrace them with open arms."

During the cheering and festivities, Vidia stormed out of the hall. Her big night had been upstaged by the two people she hoped to never see again. She flitted back to her apartment and tried to get some sleep. Her anger and fury, though, kept her up most of the night. She enjoyed only fitful rest until morning arrived.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The alarm rang in Claire's bedroom. She turned it off and went back to sleep for a few minutes more. Then the alarm rang again. She had pressed the snooze button. Claire felt empty, fatigued, despite a solid eight hours of sleep. Mrs. Kensington had overslept by a good half hour and needed to get ready for work and another long night by her injured daughter's side.

Brushing her teeth she remembered that Clarence had promised to return the house keys to her at the hospital, but never came back. He at least had visited the house and done what he had promised. Clarence's work always meant getting up before almost anyone else in town. He must have gone home to sleep.

Claire dressed, then woke her youngest. "Tina, sweetie. Wake up. We need to go to work today."

The little girl stirred and moaned. She was almost as bad off as Claire was. The mother could easily sympathize. "Tina, get up. We need to get ready."

"Okay...," Tina finally mumbled. She sat up, then flopped back into the bed. "No, no, no. Get up."

Tina groaned and at last rolled out of bed. "Mom, we have messages."

Claire looked at her telephone. It was blinking, a full cue of messages. She pressed the play button. There was a call from Sydney Glass, the reporter looking for a statement. Another from Hartley saying he would meet her at the hospital. Two more Sydney. Another from Desiree, the host of the town's popular morning show wanting an on air interview. There was even one from the Mayor herself. She called to offer her sympathies and hoped that Valerie would recover soon. Mayor Mills then allowed Claire to take the weekend off from work to be with her injured girl.

"Thank goodness," Claire breathed. Now she could spend the entire day at Valerie's side.

Tina had fallen asleep again. "Wake up," she said, shaking the lump in the bed. It was too soft to be a person. Claire pulled up the cover and found just pillows. She then heard sounds coming from the common bathroom in the hallway. "Good girl."

Descending the stairway, Claire heard noises from the downstairs. Who would be so insensitive to break into this house, she asked herself. Taking one stair at a time, Claire wanted nothing more than to find out who it was that had invaded the sanctity of her home.

In the living room, the air was filled with the aroma of coffee and bacon. "Huh? Their cooking?"

The door opened from the kitchen into the dining room. Claire looked through the open double doors and spied Clarence. She sighed loudly. "Clarence, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Kensington," he greeted her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I decided to come back early this morning and make breakfast for you. Thought you might like a helping hand."

"What about…, about your job at the post office?"

"Today's my day off," he answered.

"You gave it up for us?"

He nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I like you, Mrs. Kensington. I like your whole family. My, uh…, my parents passed away when I was young so I never got a chance to know them. You are the closest thing I have to family, I guess. Well, besides the gang at the post office. They're like my brothers. I hope that doesn't scare you."

"No. No not all, Clarence," she said. "I just wish you had told me sooner. You could have saved me a good fright."

"Sorry, ma'am. Would you like some coffee? It's fresh."

"Please!" she replied with emphasis. He brought out a cup of the hot, dark liquid. Claire took a nice sip. It tasted so good. A few more sips and soon she felt revitalized. "What did you do? It tastes different."

Clarence told her about a special blend he would buy at the market. It was rather expensive so he usually bought it only as a treat for himself and the guys he shared a house with. He brought it over today. A nice way to start after a terrible day and night at the hospital.

Claire found him to be so thoughtful. Or possibly a stalker. Or a thoughtful stalker. Either way it was nice to have someone else do all this work for once. Claire had always performed this as a labor of love for her family, but any labor performed long enough can be depleting. Today was like a vacation for her.

When Tina walked into the kitchen she was as surprised to see Clarence. After everything had been explained, Claire watched as her girl and the young boy sat next to each other. They chatted and laughed. Tina even blushed once or twice. Claire got the idea in her head that maybe he didn't do this for them as a family, but for Tina. Clarence and Tina had gone out a few times. She even accompanied him to his prom, but Claire had always assumed it was just as friends. Watching them together right now, she began to notice that it could be more. Could her little girl be growing up right before her very eyes?

Claire thought she was going to lose Valerie. Maybe it was Tina she was losing instead.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Glorious Revolution on the Mainland)

The next morning Vidia was called in to meet with guild overseer Fairy Kelly. The scout fast flyer who escorted her only mentioned he was quite cross with her behavior last night.

"Humph, who isn't these days," Vidia grumbled. Though more acerbic and superior than ever, Vidia still maintained good relations with her guild mates and other fairies and sparrow men of Pixie Hollow. Her attitude, though not always welcomed, could sometimes be laughed off as a shtick. Though she was quite serious about her sense of superiority. Vidia could do what no other fairy in Pixie Hollow could, not even members of her own guild. Her talent level was simply that great.

Upon arriving at the tavern high up in the trees, Vidia was escorted to the back office where she met with Fairy Kelly. He was flanked by Swift and Festus, the two sparrow men he had just allowed to return to the guild.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked the overseer.

Kelly was indeed upset with her early departure last night. "These two fine young men returned to our flock and you were too caught up in your own little world to even offer them a smidge of respect."

Vidia glared at the two. She still fumed over what they had done to her. Kelly was aware of their history. "Put it behind you, Vidia. They've changed."

"No," she spat. "And you cannot force me to like them or be close to them. It's called freedom of association."

"I know what it's called," Kelly replied. "There is no changing your mind on the subject?"

"None," she answered harshly.

"How sad to hear that."

Swift then walked towards her. "You really had us going last time. We honestly thought you were one of us. The show trial revealed your treachery against our movement, Vidia. I can it ever happened, if you choose to rejoin us."

His words floored her. Swift and Festus had no intention of changing their ways. They had flummoxed the queen and the entire guild into believing they were humble, changed fairies. She looked at Fairy Kelly with such confusion. After all, he was the one who had acted as the queen's spy.

"Oh yes, Kelly has been working for us the entire time," Swift confessed. "The little run in you and Fairy Morrison had with the hawk was just the opportunity we needed to gain absolute control of the guild from under Clarion's nose."

It was explained that during their absence, Kelly continued to recruit and turn many more fast flyers to their cause. It was done so quietly that not one person suspected. Especially since the interim leader was none other than the trusted Kelly, spy to the queen herself.

"How did you manage to fool the queen?" Vidia asked.

"We counted on the fact that Queen Clarion is a soft headed idiot," Festus told her. "She wants to believe in the best in everyone so much that she ignores the dark side of people. It makes her weak."

"All the more reason to be rid of her," Swift said to his brother in arms.

"And what is to stop me from telling Queen Clarion of your new conspiracy?" Vidia asked, anger palpable in her voice.

Fairy Kelly brought out a few papers. He laid them on the table. "These are signed testimonials, Vidia. They prove that you lured Fairy Morrison out there just so he could die."

"Everyone knew how much you had come to hate him," Swift added. "He was always belittling you for your attitude. He rode you harder than any other member of the guild. You just had to get him out of the way."

Swift continued. "His bitter desire to engage the hawk was no secret. You played that against him. Put him in a situation where he had the opportunity. You made him angry enough through your own actions and words, then let it spill over when the bird appeared."

"Humph, how could I control a predator?" Vidia correctly asked. "It's not like we could come to an accord. It would eat me."

"Yes, but the hawk had been sighted in that part of Pixie Hollow recently. So it wasn't like you were playing a hunch," Swift answered her. "It was a carefully planned murder of which you could never be fingered as the perpetrator. Except you never counted on others giving enough testimony for us to put it all together."

Fairy Kelly then approached her. "It was a long and difficult investigation into his death, and the results were quite difficult to accept. Yet here we stand. It would be a shame for these reports and testimonials to find their way into Queen Clarion's hands."

"You know his death was his own fault," Vidia growled. "I had nothing to do with it."

"Oh, of course we know you're innocent," Swift replied, a satisfied grin on his face. "But it isn't what we think, but what the queen thinks. Once she reads these doctored testimonials and reports, why then you would be banished from Pixie Hollow."

"So that's it, then," Vidia said, defeated. "I follow your orders and keep my mouth shut."

"Not exactly," Swift replied.

Fairy Kelly then dropped the hammer. "You see, Vidia. You're continued air of superiority can no longer be tolerated in our happy little guild. We've moved past that. You haven't. Why, even Festus and Swift have renounced their once mad plans to control the monarchy. You are the last public vestige to an older point in our history. If you cannot change with us, then you are not wanted."

He then began to speak in a formal tone. "Vidia, you are hereby cast out of the fast flyer guild for your poor attitude and unwillingness to accept equality of person by rule of law. From this day forward you are to live in the sour plum tree. You are no longer a fast flyer."

Vidia's was crushed. She had been betrayed yet again. This time her whole life had been destroyed. Now she was no longer welcomed even in her own guild. And the very people who deserved to be the outcasts controlled the guild. If she went to the queen, the results of the investigation would make it sound like sour grapes. No one would believe her. And with so many in her guild now willing followers, it would be many voices against hers alone.

That was what she had become. Alone. An outcast. The unwanted. Fine, she didn't need them, either. She was still the most talented fairy in all of Pixie Hollow and no one could take that away from her.

**~O~**

The conspiracy to overthrow the crown was ferreted out before it got started. One of the fairies Kelly had recruited informed the queen and presented enough evidence that the evening before the insurrection was to take place Swift, Festus and Fairy Kelly were all seized into custody. Following a new trial all three were summarily banished forever from Pixie Hollow. Many of their followers, dedicated to their ideal willingly left with them, never to return.

This left the fast flying guild depleted. Vidia's banishment was overturned by Queen Clarion and she was invited back to the nest by the new guild overseer, Fairy Randolph. Vidia, however, declined. In her short life she had been lied to and betrayed so many times by so many she refused to trust anyone ever again. Her heart now beat with anger and resentment enough for ten fairies.

Many in Pixie Hollow, even those from her own guild learned to clear a wide path with Vidia. New arrivals often learned the hard way.

"Hello," a rather portly looking sparrow man dressed in tinker green said to her. He was a recent arrival. Vidia looked at him with such disdain. His demeanor made him appear dim, his eyes were narrow and his long hair only added to the dull impression. Worse, this huge sparrow man had an irritating tendency to giggle. "My name is Clank. What's yours?"

She said nothing in return.

"Aw, don't be that way. I just want to be your friend. See, I've brought you pollen pots. You can't finish your work without us tinkers, you know."

Vidia was offended by this. She descended to him and gave this fat tinker an awful tongue lashing. "I am a fast flying fairy. A true, rare talent. I work up in the sky. You work down in a ditch. And by the looks of it, you eat from one, too. Now why don't you run along and take a bath, I could smell you since you left Tinker's Ditch. Now leave me to my highly important work."

"Well my work is important, too," he answered back. "Everyone in Pixie Hollow depends on tinkers.

"Sweetie," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "The only thing that depends on tinkers around here, are the flies who can't get enough of your stinky armpits."

"Just let her go, Clank," a skinny tinker sparrow man named Bobble told the new arrival. "She's not very sociable."

"Humph, I can be plenty sociable," Vidia sneered. "But you have to be a rare talent for that honor. And you two are just too common and ordinary for me to waste my breath on. Goodbye."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. I hope you are enjoying the story and back story so far. **


	46. Chapter 46

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE (The Kensington Household)

Clarence was in the kitchen doing the morning dishes. The breakfast he had made was quite good. He confessed to being a rather good cook largely because he had been on his own for so long. The three other young men he roomed with, his friends from the Post Office, could barely boil water.

"Yeah, I think they're the only people in the entire world who can actually _burn_ a pot of water," he joked.

While he and Claire spoke, she noticed that Tina hung on his every word. She eyed him throughout breakfast and was quite casual with him.

When breakfast ended and Clarence had cleared the table, Claire brought Tina into the living room to talk with her. She had remembered what Valerie had said the other night. Tina and Clarence were planning on having sex so she could get pregnant. Claire didn't want to believe it then, but seeing how her youngest seemed so enchanted by the young man the mother decided it was time to ask a few questions.

"Tina, do you…, like him?"

"Yeah, he's my friend."

"Do you…, like him a lot? A whole lot?"

"Ye-eah," Tina answered, sounding confused.

"Tina, you can be honest with me," Claire said, trying to be as gentle as possible. "Are you in love with Clarence?"

Tina was taken aback by this question. Her body language made it abundantly clear that Claire had hit a nerve with her. "We're just friends, Mom."

The night Valerie ran from the house, Tina responded to Val's revelation as if she were betrayed by a confidant. "Tina, I'm okay with it if you love him. You're sixteen, being in love is part of growing up."

The girl didn't answer right away. "We're just close friends."

"How close?"

"Mom? Are you okay?"

"You're not 'friends with benefits' close…, are you?"

"MOM! No we're not! I'm not having sex with him or anyone. How could you even think that? I'm only sixteen."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Claire replied. "You may not believe this, but I remember what is was like to be sixteen. My hormones raged and there were times when I thought I was so in love, but I wasn't. It was just a physical attraction. I know how good it can feel to have someone like you the way Clarence does. That feeling can be so intoxicating and you just want to run into things without thinking. Tina, I don't want you rushing into something and end up regretting your decision. Okay? I worry about you. I always have."

"What about you and that Mr. Hartley?" Tina asked defensively. "Are you two being friendly with benefits?"

"Absolutely not!" Claire replied. She calmed herself after the terse rejoinder. "Though I should have been more honest with you and your sister. We are seeing each other. And not just as friends, either. I like him the same way you like Clarence."

"Is he going to be my new dad?"

"I have no idea, sweetie," Claire answered, laughing somewhat uneasily. "It is still very early in our relationship, but I promise not to do anything I wouldn't want you girls to do. Okay?"

"Okay."

"And if you have any questions, about anything, you can come to me. I won't judge and I won't yell, and I will be completely honest."

"Even about Mr. Hartley?" Tina asked.

"Even about Mr. Hartley," Claire responded, adding a smile to ease her little girl's anxieties.

Tina nodded her acceptance.

Claire gave her youngest a quick peck on the cheek followed by a big hug.

**~O~**

Tina retreated into the kitchen with Clarence. She embraced him for no reason. Actually, there was a reason. Tina felt as if her life was changing so rapidly and she just couldn't process it fast enough. Clarence became her rock, her steadfast constant.

"Do you love me," she asked of him, her arms still wrapped around his torso.

"Wha? Yeah, of course."

"I mean, do you really love me? It's not just some teenage thing, is it?" Tina needed to know, remembering her conversation with her mother just moments ago.

"Tina, I love you. Deep down, I love you."

"Thanks, Clarence." She snuggled in closer, burying her head in his chest. Clarence put the dishes down and put his arms around her. He then leaned down and kissed her cheek. The boy heard her start to cry. She was upset, Tina told him. She felt lost and fragile.

"Don't worry, I'll never leave you."

These words brought Tina some comfort.

**~O~**

The phone rang. Claire answered. It was from the hospital, Valerie had woken up.

"Oh that's great news," Claire gushed.

"Yes, it is Mrs. Kensington. I can see her from my station. I'll call the doctor and let him know so he can meet you in Intensive Care."

"I'll be right over."

Moments later Claire and Tina dashed out the kitchen door and headed down the road in the work truck. The drive to the hospital was only minutes, but it felt like hours to Claire. _I should have stayed there last night_, she thought, recriminating herself for not forcing the issue and keeping vigil at Valerie's side.

* * *

STORYBROOKE GENERAL HOSPITAL (Intensive Care Unit)

Upon waking she was inundated by sights and sounds she did not know. There was that constant chirping. She looked down and saw she was in a bed, wearing a gown of some sort. Her usual purple leggings and top were missing. Long vines ran all over her body. Were they vines? Or something else? She tried to pull one and it was stuck to her quite firmly.

_Leeches?_ They didn't look like any kind of leech she had seen or heard about.

A look over her shoulder brought another strange sight. A tablet with squiggly lines that drew themselves hung from the wall. Numbers appeared at the right and changed randomly. Suddenly she felt a tightness on her arm. Something was wrapped around her arm and was squeezing it. Her first thought was that it might be a snake, but it was too wide and flat to be a snake.

The squeezing got tighter and tighter. Then it stopped, but held firm. Slowly it released. After several seconds it let go. The squeezing was gone, though that flat thing was still tied to her. In the ceiling she noticed large rectangles of bright white lights.

"I wonder how the light talents did that?" she asked herself. "Are they using fireflies? Or are they funneling light in from the outside? Iridessa will know."

There were also other devices positioned nearby. Some had blinking lights. Others just sat there doing nothing. _When did the tinkers build these things_? she asked herself. _And why?_

She finally registered chatter. Talking, but it was in a language not her own. It was in English, but not English as Lizzie and Dr. Griffiths spoke it. The accent was very different. She tried to sit up. Her right arm shocked her with pain.

A look at the arm revealed a brace of some kind. _How did that happen?_

Upon further inspection she discovered another one of those strange vines. This one seemed to be burrowing its way into her skin. "Worms?" It was attached to a bag that hung from a pole. "What's it doing? Sucking me dry?"

It was a bit of struggle, but she finally sat up. When she did one of the vines that had been stuck to her chest popped off. A shrill sound came from one of the devices to her side. She looked around trying to find where it came from. _What kind of animal makes that awful noise?_

"Fawn? Fawn, I think one of your fuzzy wuzzy critter friends needs some help," she said calling to a friend. No one came.

"Where am I?" It couldn't be the Pixie Hollow hospital. This place looked nothing like the infirmary at the base of the big oak tree.

"Fawn? Rosetta? Somebody?"

"Oh hello," a kindly voice answered. "I see you're finally awake. That's a good sign. A very good sign."

The person addressing her was a slightly overweight woman with dark skin and a pleasant demeanor. She was dressed in a blue top and trousers.

"We were beginning to worry about you," the woman told her. "You've been out for a quite a while."

One other thing about this woman that stood out. No wings. Someone else walked by. Not flew, walked. He also had no wings.

Suddenly, that chirping noise got faster, as if reading her own heartbeat. She drew deeper and deeper breaths and it was more accelerated. Her eyes darted left to right and up to down looking for something, anything that would indicate where she was. Other people came into focus. Not one of them had wings.

"Here," the pleasant lady said, leaning over. She took the vine that had fallen off in hand and brought it close. "Let me put that back on for you."

"HUMANS!" the girl screamed. She had to get away and started thrashing about trying to get out of the bed. "Let me go! Let me out of here!"

"Please, Ms. Kensington. I'm not going to hurt you!" the lady said in a raised, but caring tone.

"NO, DON'T TOUCH ME. LET ME GO!" she screamed.

"Orderly!" the woman yelled. "Orderly, I need help!"

Two burly men in white and another woman in a pink top and pants came running to the woman's aide.

"NO! I'm not a science experiment. You're not going to cut me open!"

Visions of butterflies pinned up in display cases shot through her mind. Just like those in the house of Dr. Martin Griffiths, the scientist who studied nature. An image of herself held in a cage being observed by detached men of science filled her head. Then, she was being held down as a large knife came down up on her and cut into her flesh.

She screamed until darkness overwhelmed the pain. Finally, the last image was of her corpse, pinned up in a display case in a museum. Next to her were the preserved bodies of Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist, Tinker Bell and Queen Clarion. All for the pleasure of the gawking humans.

"HELP! HELP! I am not going to tell you anything! Let me go!"

All four humans now had a grasp of her. They were holding down her legs and arms. Or at least trying to. "Get me a sedative!" someone yelled.

The word had no meaning to her, but it didn't sound good. She pushed harder against her assailants and screamed even louder. The worms stuck to her body quickly became detached the more she struggled. One leg got worked free and she kicked the man trying to hold it. A twist and another kick and in seconds she was up from the bed.

The worm buried into her arm yanked out. It tore at her flesh and she started to bleed. She put her left hand on it to try and stop the blood flow.

"Stop her!" one of the men in white said. Other humans in colored clothing approached, arms outstretched to grab her. She ran, looking for any way out. A turn through some desks, into a hallway, down a corridor, though some double doors. She had to dodge humans walking by, rolling by in chairs with wheels and some in beds that rolled.

Some places she turned were dead ends, rooms filled with humans sitting in chairs. Down another hallway to a pair of doors that did not open. She had to double back.

"There she is!" The men following her were closing in. She ran faster. Her bare feet had no protection from the cold floors. Then it struck her. These humans weren't the towering creatures she remembered. They were as tall as she was.

Or was she was tall as they were? Running from her pursuers, the girl leapt into the air and tried to fly. She fell back to the floor and nearly to her knees.

"What happened to my wings?" she asked. "Why aren't they working?"

She tried again, still she could not get airborne. "I must be out of pixie dust," the girl reasoned. Now her fears grew exponentially. Without dust she couldn't fly and escape these humans. She would have to run. Could she keep running? How long before he legs fell out from under her.

The likelihood of becoming a science experiment increased greatly without the ability to fly. It seemed almost inevitable now. Part of her wanted to just give up and let them take her. Get it over with sooner than prolong the agony. Part of her refused to give up and wanted to take every chance to escape, no matter the outcome.

A quick turn down another corner and she stared right into a familiar face. "Queen Clarion!"

It was her, wasn't it? The queen was dressed in the strangest clothes. Blue pants, a funny red shirt with vertical and horizontal stripes. Her hair was down. And something else. "What happened to you? Where are your wings?"

"Valerie? What are you doing?" her queen asked.

"Valerie? Who are you talking to?"

"Sweetheart, what are you doing out of bed?" her queen asked. "You should be resting."

"No, I won't be taken by these humans."

"Valerie, come with me back to the ICU so the doctor can make sure you're okay," the queen told her.

"Why do you keep calling me Valerie?"

"There she is!" She turned and saw the men who had been chasing her.

"That's your name. Your name is Valerie," the queen kept telling her.

"Mom, what's wrong?" a blonde haired girl asked.

"Tinker Bell?" Just like the queen, Tinker Bell was dressed in strange clothes. Not her usual green mini dress. But in leggings and a coat. And also, no wings.

"What happened to you?" she asked the queen. "Where are we? Where are your wings?"

"Wings?" Tinker Bell asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Honey, let's go back to your bed," the queen advised, looking terribly distressed.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because that's your name," the queen answered.

The two man who had given chase were now slowly approaching her, using the distraction to gain ground.

"You're not my mother," she answered.

"Oh, sweetheart, let's not go through this again," Clarion replied. "Why can't we put the past behind us and be a family again?"

"Family?"

"Yes, you and me and Tina."

_Who was Tina?_ "We're not a family. You're the queen."

"Valerie, please, honey don't be like this," Clarion answered. "Give us another chance. We can work things out. I promise not to play favorites. I'll try to be a better mother."

She turned to run, but the two men were steps away. She looked for a way out. There was none, except through the queen.

"Valerie, please, sweetie. Let's be a family again."

"Stop calling me that," she yelled. "My name is not Valerie."

"Yes it is," Clarion answered.

"No it's not!" She backed into a wall. Nothing made any sense to her. The queen and Tinker Bell looked like humans and were as big as humans. They had no wings. When she turned, there was a reflection of her in the glass. She was different, too. She looked like a human. And her wings were missing. Gone.

"What's happening? What's going on? Where are our wings?" She pressed herself up against the wall. Tears welled up in her eyes and then trickled down her cheeks.

"Why won't someone answer me!" she yelled.

"Valerie, please, stop and let's go back to your bed."

"My name is not Valerie!" she yelled to her queen. "That's not the name you gave me. Why can't you remember?!"

"Sweetie, I do remember," her queen said. "I gave you that name."

"No you didn't. NO YOU DIDN'T!"

"Then what name did I give you?" the queen asked.

She slid down the wall, falling to the floor and wept. "Vidia! My name is Vidia."

* * *

**So what do you think about that for a cliffhanger? **

**Sorry it took a while to post. I've been pretty busy lately. Any and all reviews and feedback are welcome.**

**BTW, this story has reached 6,000 views. Incredible. I so appreciate everyone who has been keeping up with this little fiction. ****Thank you for reading. **

**I would like to ask, does anyone think my chapters are too long or too dense? Any comments to improve my writing will be accepted. Critical comments are okay, but no flaming. Thank you.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Valerie had crumpled to the floor, crying shamelessly. Claire wrapped her arms around the girl, saying "I'm right here sweetheart. Everything will be okay." The two orderlies who had been chasing the girl stood nearby, ready to take the girl back to her assigned hospital bed. Claire helped her daughter to her feet so that a nurse could tend to the wound on the girl's arm. Afterwards she caringly led her daughter back to the ICU.

Though without incident, Claire noticed that Valerie was staring at each person who passed by. Her face conveyed so much terror, her body quivering. More than once Valerie withdrew when someone came too close to her.

"Are you okay?"

"Who are these people?" Valerie asked. Her eyes were wide with fright.

"They are the hospital staff," Claire reminded her. It seemed to Claire as if Valerie thought these people might reach out and grab her. "They won't hurt you."

"I don't recognize any of them," Valerie said.

"Well, it's a big hospital," Claire replied. The mother became nervous. Valerie's claim to being named Vidia was discomforting at best. She remembered David Nolan who had lost his memory and couldn't even remember who he was for several days. Claire wondered if her own daughter had taken a blow to the head so severe that her own memories were in doubt. She tried not to think too much about it.

"Where are you taking me?" Valerie asked.

"Back to your hospital bed," Claire answered her.

"NO!" Val shouted. "You can't. They'll…, they'll-.

"They'll what, dear?"

Valerie didn't answer right away. "They're going to hurt me, cut me open to see what's inside and put me up in a display case."

"Oh no they won't, honey," Claire said, thoroughly baffled by Valerie's terrified response. "This is the hospital, they help the sick and the injured."

"Then where are the healing talents?"

"You mean doctors? Oh there are plenty of them here."

"This doesn't make any sense. What's going on? Where are we? Why are there so many humans around?"

Claire made a nervous little laugh. "Valerie, we are all humans. What else would we be?"

"We're fairies."

This didn't sit well with Claire. Fear welled up inside her as she and Valerie continued their conversation. "I'm sorry, did you say we're fairies?"

"Yes."

"Everyone?"

"No. Just the three of us. Don't you remember?"

"Valerie, do you know how you got here?" Claire asked. "The accident you had on the road Thursday night?"

"Accident? What accident? The last thing I remember was gathering pollen for spring. It's still a little fuzzy."

The mother put an arm around her eldest girl and held her. She walked with the girl slowly towards the ICU. _Maybe she just can't remember the accident_, Claire told herself. It would be a huge relief if that was all it was.

The orderlies escorted the three Kensington women to the Intensive Care Unit, keeping watch over Valerie in case she ran again.

"I don't even know where I am anymore," Valerie suddenly added. "This doesn't look like the healing ward in the Pixie Dust Tree."

"What kind of tree?" Claire asked.

"The Pixie Du-," Valerie was cut off by Tina.

"Hey, when did you get a tattoo?" the younger girl asked.

Claire stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at her younger daughter.

"It's right there, on her back," Tina said, pointing.

Claire pulled apart the gown and saw the first outlines of a tattoo across the entirety of Valerie's back.

"I have a what on my back?" Val asked.

"When did you start getting a tattoo?" Claire asked her.

"A tattoo? I never got one of those," Valerie replied, frustration in her voice. "Why aren't we in the Pixie Dust Tree? Where is Pixie Hollow? Why happened to us?"

Claire, though, wasn't listening. She was thinking how much she and Valerie were more alike than she initially wanted to believe. When Claire was about Valerie's age, she went out and got a tattoo on her back, as well. It was an act of open rebellion against her mother and father. She thought it made her look cool. _Bitchin'_ was how she described it. Her parents thought it made her look like white trash.

When she married and adopted Valerie, Claire never once mentioned the tattoo on her back. She even went so far as to keep it covered it up while Valerie and later Tina were growing up. What was cool and awesome back then to a proud and foolhardy young woman, became fraught with pitfalls when Claire became a mother. She had wanted to set a good example for her two girls. Showing off a bitchin' tattoo wasn't the way to do that.

Of course, with Valerie setting a good example wasn't always enough. No matter how straight arrow Claire tried to act around her two girls, Val always had a nose for diving into trouble and disobeying her mother. Like all those facial piercings, or the motorcycle and dating that shark Kyle. If Claire forbid it, Valerie went out of her way to do it. She was rebelling the same way Claire had at this age.

She blamed television. Especially those nasty reality television shows like _Keeping Up With the Kardashians._ The people on those shows were not good role models in Claire's estimation. They glorified trashy behavior and disrespect for authority. It was the reason why Claire would not let Tina watch a lot of television or movies. Most were violent, profane, and vulgar and were filled with characters of dubious moral and ethical fiber.

Claire also remembered the curse. The one her mother placed upon her when Claire was a child. "I hope when you grow up you have a child that acts just like you." As Bill Cosby once noted, _the curse worked._

"Will someone please answer my questions?" Valerie yelled, irritated.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Valerie," Claire apologized. "What was your question?"

"Your Highness, why are we the same size as humans? What happened to your wings? Where is the Pixie Dust Tree? Where is your pixie dust dress? Where are the ministers of the seasons?"

"What the _hell_ is she talking about?" Tina asked.

"Shh, watch your language, Tina," Claire admonished. "Valerie, what are you saying?"

"Why do you keep calling me Valerie? My name is Vidia! And why are you calling her Tina?" Valerie gave Claire a look of even more confusion. "Don't you remember?"

"Remember what, dear?"

Valerie pointed to her little sister. "She is Tinker Bell. We live in Pixie Hollow and you are Queen Clarion, ruler of the Never Fairies."

"Tinker Bell? As in Peter Pan and Never Land?" Tina asked.

"Yes, that's right," Valerie said to Tina, a hope glimmering in her lavender eyes. "You're Tinker Bell."

Claire and Tina shared a look, one that could best be described as fear. Fear that the blow to Valerie's head may have done to her what it did to David Nolan. David, however, simply could not remember anything about his past. Valerie seemed to be channeling a whole new personality. A new identity.

_Or it could be Valerie playing a mind game_, Claire thought. Claire had made a startling and painful admission. She hadn't wanted to adopt Valerie to begin with. It was a horrible thing for her to say to the daughter she loved so dearly.

Claire tried to convince herself that she didn't really mean it. But when she searched her memories and feelings, there was no other conclusion. She had meant every word.

_Please don't do this to me, Valerie_, Claire's eyes pleaded.

"Well, I see we had ourselves a little adventure today," Dr. Whale said.

Whale had received the message that Valerie had woken up and went to give the girl a thorough check up. When he had arrived, though, the alcove where Valerie's bed was located was turned upside down. Nurses and technicians were busily cleaning up the mess.

The nurse on duty told him what had happened. Valerie woke up, became terribly afraid, struggled and ran. A trail of blood on the floor revealed where she had gone. Whale followed it and found the girl under control with her mother and sister.

"Oh, Dr. Whale, I'm so sorry for what has happened," Claire said to him.

"It's okay," Whale replied. "Waking up in strange surroundings can be a bit jarring." He leaned in close to Valerie, who stepped away from him.

"Who are you?"

"Don't be afraid, Valerie," Claire told her sweetly. "The doctor just wants to make sure you're okay."

Valerie looked into Claire's eyes, pleading for something. She obviously didn't want this man to come near her.

"You'll be fine, don't worry." Claire then lovingly pulled Valerie's hair back and straightened out her gown, tying it off to be more discreet. It was busy work for Claire, making her daughter look more presentable to the doctor. Claire wasn't entirely sure why she was doing this, but she was very nervous and needed something, anything to take her mind off of things even for a moment.

"I'll be right here," Claire told her oldest. Valerie turned and looked at Doctor Whale. She gulped down hard before submitting.

Whale's first order of business was to check the impromptu bandage that a nurse had put Valerie's arm. It was the spot where the I.V. had been ripped from her flesh. The white bandage had turned somewhat red from the blood.

"We need to take care of that," he said with a friendly smile. "Now, Ms. Kensington, why don't we go back to the ICU and I'll patch that right up."

Valerie backed away again. Recoiling from his as if he were some kind of monster. Claire put her arms around the girl, holding her as if protecting her from a nightmare.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "He won't hurt you. Dr. Whale is here to help, sweetheart."

Valerie refused to budge.

"I'll be right beside you," Claire told her.

Mrs. Kensington gently guided her frightened daughter down the corridor as they followed Dr. Whale back to Intensive Care, Tina following right behind. Valerie was apprehensive the entire way, still watching with an eagle eye every person that walked by her. Valerie's head acted as if it were on a swivel, turning one way and then the other and every which way possible. She eyed the lights in the ceiling with suspicion, the tiles on the floor with utter confusion, the self-actuating doors frightened her, the disembodied voices through the intercom sent Valerie into fits as she tried to find who was talking.

Claire did her best to keep Valerie calm during the long walk back to her hospital bed. Once in the ICU, Dr. Whale directed Valerie to sit in chair that somewhat resembled a one piece school chair/desk, only the "desk" part was an elongated arm rest.

"Why do you want me to sit there?" Valerie asked him.

Whale replied that when she ran from her bed, Valerie tore the I.V. right out of her arm. Her wound was bleeding and he wanted to determine if any piece of the needle was still in her arm.

"No," she said, recoiling in terror.

Claire, however, reassured her that no harm would come to her. She even pulled up a chair to sit next to Valerie and kept a comforting hand in Val's shaking and sweating palm. The girl finally sat in the chair and put her arm out, hesitantly trusting the words spoken to her.

Whale carefully removed the bandage and sterile pad. Blood oozed from the wound with each pulse. Valerie had to turn away, staring into Claire's eyes as if searching for release from this horrible moment.

"Don't worry, Valerie," Claire said in a quiet and calming voice. "Mommy's here."

"Mommy?" she said, clearly at a total loss.

"Yes, sweetheart."

"Did you just say…, _Mommy_?"

"Uh huh."

"Mother to whom?" Valerie asked.

Claire's face turned almost ashen. "To you, Valerie."

From her facial expression it was clear that Valerie could not believe her own ears. A shot of pain turned her attention back to the arm. "What are you doing?"

"I'm disinfecting the wound," Whale answered. "No needle fragments were found so now I'm going to close it up." He then turned to a nurse and gave instructions for an antibiotic I.V. drip to prevent infection.

To Claire, Valerie acted as if she had no idea what was being said or done to her. Every bit of her body language screamed dread. It was as if she had never been here before or had even heard of a hospital like this.

"Sis, are you feeling okay?" Tina asked.

Valerie didn't respond.

"Sis? Valerie?" Tina then tapped her shoulder to get Valerie's attention.

"What?"

"I said are you feeling okay?"

"Did you just call me _sis_?"

"Yeah, because you're my sister," Tina answered.

"I'm not your sister, Tinker Bell. Periwinkle is your sister."

Tina and Claire shared another one of those frightful stares. Whale listened intently as he finished with the girl. He had to hold Valerie's arm tightly after reminding her that the suturing would cause mild discomfort.

"Who's Periwinkle?" Tina asked her big sister.

"You don't know? How could you not know? You nearly got all of us frozen to death trying to find her in the first place. You built that snow machine and brought it to the Winter Woods so Peri could explore the warmer seasons. But then we ran out of ice and-."

"The what woods?"

"The Winter Woods," Valerie stated. "Periwinkle is a frost fairy. She can't come into the warm seasons without breaking a wing. That's why you built that snow machine. So she could cross the border, but we ran out of ice and she almost lost her wings."

"Wings?"

"Yes, her fairy wings," Valerie replied. She was beginning to sound desperate. Possibly bordering on hysterical.

"She broke them?"

"NO! We got her back to the border in time."

"In time for what?" Tina asked.

"In time to save her wings, aren't you listening? Don't you remember any of this? Don't either you remember what happened? Do you…, do you even know who you are?"

"Sweetie," Claire began, "I'm your mother. This is Tina your little sister. You're my daughter, Valerie. We live in Storybrooke, Maine."

"No. No. My name is Vidia. I'm a fast flying talent." She pointed to Tina. "That's Tinker Bell, a tinker talent. And you are Queen Clarion, ruler of all the Never Fairies of Pixie Hollow. …wait, we live where?"

"There we go, all done," Whale said.

Valerie looked down at her arm. Small bits of thread were holding her skin together. "What did you do?"

"I closed the tear in your skin so it can heal, Ms. Kensington." He then motioned to a women in white. "This nice young lady will help you back into your bed and then I'll check on your vitals." He turned to Claire. "Can we talk for a moment?"

"Yes, doctor." Claire and Dr. Whale stood apart from everyone else to speak privately, while a nurse and Tina helped Valerie back into her hospital bed. "Doctor, what's wrong with her?"

"I've heard that trauma to the head, in severe cases, can lead to a change in personality. But this is extreme. Does Valerie actually believe she is someone else?"

"I don't know," Claire answered. "She has been telling us her name is Vidia ever since we got here."

Dr. Whale explained in as simple terms as possible how trauma to certain parts of the brain had shown to radically alter a patient's personality. One instance he recalled was of a construction worker who suffered a metal rod impaled into his head. He survived, but he changed from a loving person to someone no one could stand.

"Her MRI earlier didn't reveal any brain injuries other than a concussion," Whale said. "I think we should perform further tests. Also, I would like to bring in Dr. Archie Hopper for a consultation, in the event this is psychological in nature."

She nodded in agreement. "Okay, doctor, whatever you think is best." Whale stepped away to do a more thorough examination of Valerie. Tina was at Valerie's side, holding her attention and not letting her get too frantic as the nurses reapplied the sensors to monitor her body functions.

Claire trembled with a terrible fear. When she found Valerie in the woods, her body lying motionless on the cold, wet ground her first thought was that she had lost her little girl. That precocious child who ran through the house holding model airplanes and making engine sounds with her lips. She was so relieved when Emma told her that Valerie was still very much alive.

Now it seemed that Claire might lose her first child in a very different way. She will still be here in body, but not in mind. Precious memories, shared experiences, their history together all gone. Wiped clean like erasing a blackboard. She didn't know which would be worse. At least in death neither of them would have to suffer long. If the Valerie she knew couldn't be found, if she couldn't come back, would she still be able to love this girl that was before her? Would this girl love Claire as a mother the way Valerie did? Would she leave, abandoning their family?

These uncertainties overwhelmed Claire Kensington. She sat down, tears pouring from her eyes. She wiped them away as fast they came. She had to keep a strong façade, if not for her, then for her girls. It was hard for her not to break down into sobbing. No parent should have to lose a child this way, she thought. It was just too hard for any person.

* * *

**My apologies for not getting this up sooner. This chapter was particularly challenging to write now that the dynamic has changed. **

**Furthermore, Friday was the Fourth of July, American Independence Day which we celebrate with food, music and fireworks. So I was quite a bit distracted.**

**Thanks to everyone who has been keeping up my little story. If you like what you are reading please let me know. I love to hear from readers their thoughts on the story.**


	48. Chapter 48

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia didn't understand. Neither her queen nor her friend knew their own names. They were humans and had no wings, yet neither seemed to notice or care. She was in a place she did not know, surrounded by humans who didn't think twice about who or what she was. Maybe that was in outward appearance only. They could be trying to act friendly so they could dissect her later without much fuss being made. A trick to gain her confidence and cooperation.

So why then why were Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell helping these humans?

Vidia went back to her first thought. Why were Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell human and not fairies? Why was she a human? What brand of magic had caused this to happen to them? She had no recollection of any kind of spell or curse that could have done this. Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell didn't seem to remember, either, or they would have told her.

She also had no idea what these devices were that surrounded her. How could the magic tablet draw lines across its face? Where did those numbers come from that sat aside those lines? What did these strange vines do that had been reattached to her chest? Was it necessary to drip water into her arm? And why was the room so cold? Were they in the Winter Woods?

Remembering her time with Lizzy and Dr. Martin Griffiths, Vidia eventually construed that the large rectangles of bright white light in the ceiling were some form of artificial illumination. Lizzy lived by gaslight, but these looked nothing like the gas jets that had been installed in the Griffiths' summer home.

There was also the matter of what all these things were made of? The bed on which she was laying had railings that felt like metal, not wood or bamboo. The curtains that surrounded her should have been made of leaves or woven blades of grass, but they were a cloth that none in Pixie Hollow could fashion.

She was just as confused by the clothes Tinker Bell was wearing. Tink always wore her little green dress. She had a few variations of it for when she went into the frozen world of the Winter Woods or the cool Autumn Forest. Today, though, Tink wore snug fitting leggings in blue, rather than tinker green. Her shirt was pink, but was partly hidden by a thin coat. Her hair was different, too. Instead of a bun, Tink's hair was coiled into two pigtails.

Then there was Queen Clarion, who had never looked less regal than she did now. The one person who had always looked the role of a perfect leader today appeared weak and shaken. Her demeanor, her posture, her entire body looked as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and couldn't manage the load. The queen she knew would never present herself as looking so weary.

The entire world that the fast flyer knew was gone and replaced by this one. A place she could not possibly understand, and not one person she recognized was able to recognize her. It was like they were imposters, but at least imposters would at least try to act like the persons they were replacing. Tink and Queen Clarion didn't even do that. There had to be an answer for this, but where could she look. If this was Pixie Hollow she would know where to start. But here, in …Mainebrook, was it? Here she was lost. Lost and alone.

* * *

THE GRIFFITHS' SUMMER HOME (Outside London, England during the Edwardian Period)

It was barely a month and a half since the fairies of Never Land were forced to abandon their homes. The new Pixie Dust Tree in the meadow adjacent to the Griffiths' summer home was still just a sapling. It could not yet produce the dust so desperately needed by the tiny winged creatures that tended to it on a daily basis.

The three warm season ministers were in Dr. Griffith's study engaged in a conference about the tree.

"If this keeps up will be out of dust long before that thing can produce more," Hyacinth noted. "Well miss an entire season."

"The upcoming season is Winter," Redleaf reminded him. "It will be up to Lord Milori and his winter fairies to bring the next season."

"And what if they can't?" Sunflower asked. "What if he is having the same problem we are? A shortage of pixie dust. Winter will never come this year. Oh, I can't even imagine how badly that will be for the humans of the mainland."

"No winter snows, a warm Christmas celebration, the entire world will suffer because of this awful curse," Hyacinth observed. "Who is Queen Regina? Why did she unleash the curse upon us anyway?"

Redleaf then brought up a topic that no other minister wanted to talk about. "Why has no new queen appeared?"

"What?" Hyacinth gasped.

"How dare you?" Sunflower yelped.

"Queen Clarion is alive and somewhere out there in the English Channel. I'm sure of it," Hyacinth huffed. "Why we aren't looking for her is beyond me?"

"We all saw what happened, Minister," Redleaf answered. "The queen was consumed by the dark mist that brought the curse. If what The Blue Fairy said was true, she is gone. Lost to us forever."

"Not forever," Sunflower cut in. "She said that a savior would rescue them after twenty eight years. Someone who would break the curse."

"Oh yes, of course. Well that makes me feel so much better now," Hyacinth answered rudely. "All we have to do is just wait for twenty eight years to pass and everything will be just fine. ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?"

"Minister?" Redleaf chided.

"Can you seriously ask us to wait for twenty eight years for this 'savior' to somehow break the curse and return our queen to us? What shall we do until then? Play games? Watch the theater? Perhaps we can all stand around and watch the pixie dust tree grow ever so slowly!"

"That is enough!" Redleaf yelled. "We are not here to debate the merits or lack thereof of this curse. We must figure out a way to deliver Spring to the mainland without wasting all our precious pixie dust before then."

The door to the study swung open. "Ministers, please keep it down," Martin Griffiths told them. "The other fairies will hear you."

When the fairies of Never Land arrived in the meadow the plan had been to establish a new Pixie Hollow colony in the grassy meadow. However, it was pointed out that unlike Never Land, this world was subject to the changes in temperatures that the fairies brought every year. When the winter fairies brought their seasonal changes, everyone would freeze. Their wings would break from the extended exposure to cold temperatures.

It was quickly decided that all the fairies would live inside the Griffiths' summer home year round. The house was huge and offered too much room for just two persons to live. Especially when those two spent most of the year in the city. Each guild was to be assigned a room of their own. With so many guilds, though, two, three or even four were asked to live in the same space in close quarters. Shelves were brought in to facilitate a vertical building dynamic and small ladders were fashioned to allow the fairies and sparrow men to move about within their own "guild villages" without using up pixie dust to fly.

Dr. Griffiths and Elizabeth helped out as much as they could. They provided building materials, bought and prepared as much food as was reasonable and added a series of model railroad systems in their home to allow the fairies to move through the house. Lizzy even unpacked her old dollhouse so that the three minister could have a nice place all their own to sleep.

"If they hear you squabbling like this, they will lose hope. You must lead by example," Martin reminded them. "It is what her highness Queen Clarion would do, I'm sure of it."

Martin Griffiths had only met Queen Clarion a few times. His certainty came more from his experiences living under the monarchy of England. Specifically, the long lived Queen Victoria whose reign had just recently ended with her death at the ripe old age of eighty one. He presumed that any good queen would be outwardly strong and show little or no weakness. Emotions were closely guarded so as to avoid undermining the confidence of her subjects.

"Yes, Doctor, quite right," Redleaf answered. "We shall focus on the necessities at hand," he said.

Just then, a scout talent sparrow man flitted into the room. He was out of breath when he touched down in front of the dollhouse where the ministers were conferencing.

"Why are you flying?" Hyacinth bellowed angrily. "You know we must conserve every grain of our precious dust."

"It is a communiqué from the winter fairies, Prime Minister," the scout said, addressing Redleaf and handing him a letter written in fairy language.

"Thank you," Redleaf said, taking the letter.

Dr. Griffiths set out his hand and took the scout talent out of the room in his shirt pocket, helping the out of breath sparrow man to recover and conserve his ration of dust.

"What is it? What does it say?" Sunflower pleaded.

Prime Minister Redleaf's face turned pained. "It's from Snowflake. Lord Milori didn't make it. He was consumed by the purple mist."

"Oh no!" Sunflower gasped. "Not both of them? Not both of our leaders?"

"What will they do?" Hyacinth asked.

Redleaf kept reading. "Snowflake is now the new Lady of Winter. Their supply of pixie dust is very low and she is uncertain if her fairies can bring their season to the mainland this year."

"What about their pixie dust tree?" Hyacinth asked, sounding indignant.

"They are having the same problems we are," Redleaf answered. "Their tree is growing slowly. It won't be ready for at least another two or three seasons."

"What will we do for winter?" Sunflower asked. "What will the mainland be like without the seasons?"

Prime Minister Redleaf had no answer for his two friends.

He didn't want this role as leader of all the fairies. He wasn't prepared for it. His talent lay in overseeing the fairies that brought the autumn season. That was why they had a queen. She possessed every talent in Pixie Hollow as well as one unique to the queen: Leadership. So why hadn't a new queen arrived? That's when it dawned on him. The laugh that would bring a new queen to the fairies would go to Never Land and Pixie Hollow, not the meadow behind a human house.

His heart sunk as he imagined so many first laughs going all the way to Never Land only to die in the purple mist that surrounded their precious island. Among those laughs, a new fairy queen that would never be born. He wept for them. For all those new arrivals that would never get the chance to live.

Then he gave an utterly incredulous order. "Gather the scouts. I want scouting parties in balloon carriers to patrol the outer reaches of Never Land Island. They are to search out and capture every new laugh destined for Pixie Hollow. They are to gather them up and bring them here."

"Prime Minister? Are you insane? Do you know how much pixie dust will be wasted on such folly?" Hyacinth gasped.

Redleaf answered with a glare that only Queen Clarion had been able to muster in the past.

"Immediately, Prime Minister," Hyacinth said, bowing as he exited.

"Red?" Sunflower asked.

"We're losing fairies," he said. "They are dying out there, one of them maybe our new queen. We must save them. Every one of them."

* * *

**Thank your for reading and keeping up with this story. I want to hear from you, please leave a review or comment. Thanks.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 an 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia lay in her hospital bed, still trying to come to terms with her new surroundings. Her mind continued to wrangle with how all of this might have occurred. One thought was that Captain Hook may have found some black magic to send them away from Pixie Hollow. Vidia dismissed this idea because Captain Hook had no idea where on Never Land Island the home of the fairies was located. He couldn't even locate the new hiding place of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.

Hook didn't think that Peter would go back to his old hiding place since the pirates knew where to find it. So that was exactly where Peter went to make his new hideout.

The fast flying fairy tried to think of any other possibilities when a young man dressed in purple garments brought her a tray with food.

"Lunchtime," he announced. He moved a table over to her so that it seemed to hover and then placed the tray upon it. The table was attached to a post that rolled on wheels.

_Looks like something Tink would tinker_, she thought.

Her lunch consisted of a salad; some kind of white pasty stuff which Tinker Bell described as mashed potatoes, green beans; a bowl of apple slices and red grapes; colorful, wiggly cubes which Tink told her was gelatin and a piece of bread. Also on the tray was a glass of cold, black tea and several small bags which looked sealed and small cups with lids which Tink helpfully informed her contained butter and jelly for the bread.

The item which most readily caught her eye was a large, oblong thing which was brown in color and was covered in a thick goo and topped with sliced mushrooms. Though the mushroom slices looked tiny compared to back in Pixie Hollow. She had to remind herself that humans were much bigger than fairies. Mushrooms would look tiny to a human, which she now was.

"What's that?" she asked Tinker Bell pointing to the oblong, brown thing.

"That's Salisbury steak," she answered. "It's great. Well, it's great at Granny's, I don't know about hospital food."

"Steak? You mean like …animals?"

"Uh, yeah. It's made from beef."

Vidia gave Tinker Bell a quizzical look.

"Cows? You remember cows don't you?"

Vidia felt ill to her stomach. Fairies didn't eat the flesh of animals because they helped to birth and nurture them. Fairies were friends to the animals. Animal fairies in particular helped to train them, taught birds how to fly, fish how to swim and skunks how to, uh…, skunk. _Fawn would be horrified by this_, she thought.

"I can't eat meat, that's disgusting," Vidia said.

Tinker Bell was momentarily dumbstruck. "Val, you always eat meat. You had turkey for Thanksgiving, remember?"

Now it was Vidia's turn to be confused. "What? I've never heard of...of… Thanks-whatever."

"You've never heard of Thanksgiving? Sis, we've celebrated Thanksgiving every year, how could you have _not_ heard of it? Mom even said you were the cutest looking Indian ever in the Thanksgiving Pageant when you were in Ms. Blanchard's class. Wait. She said the same thing about me. She said I was the cutest looking Indian ever in that pageant. She lied. I can't believe Mom lied."

"Indian? Pageant? And who is Ms. Blanchard?"

"Well, the politically correct term these days is Native American," Tinker Bell rambled.

"Native American?"

"Yeah. And Ms. Blanchard was your grade school teacher when you were ten. Can't you recall any of that?"

Vidia became quite frustrated with all of this. "Tinker Bell, I have never been in a human class. I'm a fairy. A fast flying fairy. A true rare talent. I make breezes in the spring and winds in the fall to blow the leaves off the trees."

Tinker Bell cocked an eyebrow. "Uh, you make winds?"

"Yes, exactly."

"So, would that be before or after the bean burrito?"

"Huh? …HEY! That's not funny!" Vidia yelled.

"What's not funny, dear?" Queen Clarion walked back over to join her and Tinker Bell. To Vidia, Queen Clarion never looked so poorly. Her eyes were red, it was obvious she had been crying. Her face tried to conceal her pain, but she was doing a terrible job of it. It worried Vidia who could always count on her queen to be the picture of resolute strength and supreme confidence. "Oh you got your lunch, great. Well eat up, you need to keep up your strength."

"I can't eat this," Vidia told her.

"She's a vegetarian all of a sudden," Tinker Bell told the queen.

"Honey, you ate turkey on Thanksgiving two days ago. How could you be a vegetarian?"

"That's what I said," Tink replied. "Do you know what she said?"

"What! Is! Thanksgiving!?" Vidia barked.

The queen stared at her, baffled. "You don't know? Sweetie, we celebrate it every year. We eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and corn bread. Then we sit down as a family and watch the football games. Dallas and Detroit host a game every year."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

Tink and the queen shared another one of those looks. Stares that they seemed to be giving each other quite a bit lately. "You don't remember?" Clarion asked her.

"If I did would I be asking?!"

"Well at least she still sounds like Valerie," Tinker Bell quipped.

"Shh…, quiet."

"Where is Mainebrooke?"

"Where is what?" Clarion asked.

"I think she means Storybrooke," Tinker Bell said.

"Sweetie," the queen told Vidia, "Storybrooke is your home. It's in Maine."

"Where is Maine?"

They shared another of those glances. "Maine is part of the United States. Where do you think you are?"

Vidia's mind searched for anything regarding _The United States_. "Is that the mainland across the great waters?"

"Across which great waters?"

"From our mainland."

"And which mainland is that, dear?"

"England," Vidia finally said. "England is our mainland. It's where we bring the seasons every year. You make sure we stay on schedule. You the ministers and Fairy Mary. Does any of that sound familiar?"

"Sweetheart, the seasons come on their own," Clarion said. "No one brings them."

"We bring them," Vidia said desperately trying to get someone to believe her. "We've always brought the seasons to the mainland."

"No sweetie, our world just spins around the sun and the seasons come and go on their own, just like clockwork."

Vidia was horrified by this pronouncement from her very own queen. How could she say that no one brings the seasons? They don't just come on their own. They never did. More questions without answers, more paradoxes to plague her.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Tinker Bell asked.

"No, it's meat. Meat tastes terrible to us because animals are our friends," Vidia told her. "We care for them and they trust us to keep them safe."

"So you don't eat any animal anything? Not even milk or eggs or cheese?"

"Well of course we can eat those," Vidia said. "We aren't killing anything to eat that." Vidia wondered why Tinker Bell didn't know this.

"Okay, smarty pants, where do you get the milk? Cows?" Tinker Bell asked with a snide tone.

"Its mouse milk," Vidia answered with an equally snide tone.

"Eew," Tinker Bell replied.

"You get milk… from mice?" Clarion asked.

"Sure, don't you?"

"No, sweetie, we get it from cows."

**~O~**

Back and forth this line of questioning went. For Vidia, she was desperate to get Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell to remember who they were and tell her how they all got to this place.

For Claire and Tina, they were just as desperate trying to jog Valerie's memory. Why she thought she was some fairy named Vidia only added to their desperation. In particular, Claire, who was staring at her own daughter who did not even know who she was and insisted she was someone else. What a horrible way to live, Claire supposed.

Vidia peppered both Clarion and Tinker Bell with questions, but answers were not always clear as they continued to assume she was someone named Valerie. Their responses and questions were clearly aimed at helping this Valerie person to regain her memories. Memories that absolutely did not exist.

Claire could not understand why Valerie was so hell bent on trying to convince them that she and Tina were fairies. It disturbed her more that she thought Tina was Tinker Bell, a character from the popular J.M. Barrie novel. Everything else Valerie described, this place she regularly called Pixie Hollow and the names of her supposed friends, like Silvermist, Fawn and Rosetta, were all new to Claire who assumed they were part of Val's vivid imagination.

**~O~**

The same male human who had brought the tray of food eventually returned. "You're not finished eating?"

Vidia explained that she didn't eat meat and wanted something vegetarian, remembering the word Tinker Bell had used. "Oh, well, I'll see what I can do. The kitchen might already be closed down for lunch and preparing for dinner."

**~O~**

"Why don't you leave the tray," Claire told him. She then asked Tina to bring food for all of them from Granny's Diner.

"What would you like, dear?" she said, speaking to her oldest daughter.

**~O~**

Vidia didn't know how to respond other than, "Something without meat in it."

**~O~**

Claire suggested a grilled cheese sandwich which Valerie could eat with the rest of her meal, just leave the steak untouched.

The man in the alcove next to them piped up. "Hey, if you're not going to eat that steak, can I have it? I'm still hungry."

Valerie nodded.

"Of course." Claire took the tray and scrapped the steak and sauce onto his empty tray. She also handed him the bowl of Jell-O.

"Hey, why did you do that for?" Valerie griped. "I was going to eat that, it looked good!"

"Oh, honey, Jell-O is made from animal bones." Claire explained the basic process of how gelatin was extracted from animal bones before being turned into the wiggly, jiggly cubes in the cup.

**~O~**

Vidia turned nauseous as this Jello-O was described to her in detail. "How do you know all this?"

"The Food Network," Clarion answered.

"Okay, fine, don't answer my question!" Valerie growled.

**~O~**

Tinker Bell returned with several bags in hand. From one she pulled what was called a grilled cheese sandwich. Vidia enjoyed the taste of it. She consumed it and the food left on her tray, though most of it was cold now. She was also given a large, tall cup with a lid and a straw. From it she sipped a sweet drink that tasted a bit like plums, but with a strong bite to it.

"What is this?" she asked.

"That's Mr. Pibb," Tinker Bell answered. "It's one of your favorite sodas."

"Soda? Is that what this is? I like it."

Not long after, Vidia watched as a tall blonde woman approached. She wore blue leggings, boots nearly up to her knees, a dark shirt and a red jacket which she let hang open. She was carrying with her several bags. "Here you go," she said to Queen Clarion as she handed them to her.

**~O~**

Claire accepted the bag from Deputy Emma Swan. "What's this?"

"I went back out to the crash site and recovered as much of your daughter's personal effects as I could," she said. Emma then turned to Valerie, whom she noticed was now awake. "Hey, good to see you conscious again. You had us all worried. How are you feeling?"

**~O~**

Vidia didn't know how to answer. She had never seen this woman before in her life. She turned to her queen, who gave her a reassuring nod. "I'm fine, I guess. Who are you again?"

The woman smiled. "I'm Emma Swan, Deputy Sheriff of Storybrooke. We've met before."

**~O~**

Claire pulled Deputy Swan aside and relayed to her what was happening with Valerie.

"She thinks she's fairy named Vidia?" Emma said, disbelieving. "Has she been talking to Henry?"

"The mayor's boy? No, not that I'm aware of, why?"

"Never mind." Emma proceeded to show Claire the contents of Valerie's beat up saddlebags. Included were some clothing, most had holes in them from where small woodland animals had been nibbling. Her cell phone and iPod were in good shape.

"Also, there was all of this money. It was lying on the ground near where we found her."

Emma handed Claire several thick rolls of dollar bills. The very same ones she had seen Valerie take from her hidden can. There were huge rolls of hundreds, fifties and twenties. "Would you happen to know how he she got all that?" Emma asked, sounding more like a police officer than a concerned human being.

"No, deputy, I don't," Claire answered. "I didn't even know she had this much money until you handed it to me."

"I hate to say this, but if it turns out she acquired that through any criminal means, I'll have no choice but to arrest her and open an investigation."

"I understand, Deputy Swan," Claire said. "I'll see what I can found out." She brought the rolls of money to her daughter and placed them before her. "Sweetie, where did you get this?"

**~O~**

Vidia looked at the rolls of funny looking colored paper. "What is that?"

Clarion shared that same worried look, this time with the blonde woman she had been talking with. "It's money. Where did you get it?"

Vidia looked at the rolls again and then back at the queen. "Your Highness, we don't need money. We live communally. We do for ourselves and we do for others."

**~O~**

"Your Highness?" Emma asked Claire.

"She thinks I'm queen of the fairies."

"Huh? Well I've never heard that one before." She turned her attention back to Valerie. "C'mon kid, where did you get all this dough?"

**~O~**

Vidia was baffled by the question. "Dough? For bread?"

"Money, Val, she means money," Tink contributed.

"Yeah, now where did you get it?" the blonde asked again. "Did you steal it?"

"Steal it? It's not even mine."

"Now that I've heard plenty of times," the blonde said.

"Valerie, sweetheart, answer Deputy Swan's question. Where did you get all that money? Were you hustling men at The Rabbit Hole?"

"The Rabbit Hole?"

"Yes, Sheriff Graham caught her a couple of times hustling the bar patrons at the dart board," Clarion said. "Sheriff Graham never pressed any charges. He always let me handle it. Graham was like that. He preferred for families to take care of their own internal problems. A very nice man. I'm going to miss him."

"Yeah, me, too."

"Who are these grumpy looking guys?" Valerie asked. She had unrolled some of the bills and was looking at them, confused.

"Those are former presidents," Claire answered. "Except for Ben Franklin. He was a founding father, inventor, statesman and ambassador."

"She doesn't recognize them?" Emma asked.

Claire just shrugged her shoulders.

"These are the former kings of America?"

"Kings? Is she kidding?" Emma responded.

"Honey? Those are presidents. We elect presidents."

Valerie stared at Claire as if totally lost. "What are presidents? And where is the grumpy old lady?"

"Hillary Clinton?" Tina half-jokingly asked.

"Tina, not now," Claire hissed at her youngest. "What grumpy old woman?" Claire asked of Valerie.

"When Tink and I visited Lizzy at her summer home she had money with a grumpy old woman on it. Then a couple of years ago the money had a picture of a grumpy looking old man."

"Who were these persons?" Claire asked. "Do you know?"

Valerie had to stop and think for a moment. "Ummm… Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, I think."

**~O~**

Clarion and the blonde woman shared that glance again. That look that said _what is she talking about?_ Vidia had been seeing that look quite a bit since she had woken up.

"Sweetie," the queen began, "Queen Victoria died more than a hundred years ago."

"No, she died about four years ago."

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous," the blonde woman said.

Clarion offered a pained, weak smile. "Uh, sweetheart, what year is it?"

Vidia just quirked an eyebrow. "It's 1905 according to the human calendar."

Clarion and the blonde shared that same look again. "Would you two stop doing that?!"

"Did you say nineteen oh five?" the blonde asked her.

"Yes, that's right."

"Valerie," Clarion said, as if getting ready to deliver bad news. "The year is two thousand and eleven."

"What?! No, it's nineteen oh five!"

"Sweetie, the year is two thousand and eleven."

"Really?"

Tinker Bell nodded. "That's right. November 26th, 2011."

At this moment Vidia realized that she had not just been removed from her world and made into a human, but she had also been removed from her time, as well. This new revelation struck her with a tremendous fear. _What kind of fearful magic had such power to do this? _she asked herself.

Now it was entirely on her shoulders to discover what this power was, how to reverse it and send herself, Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell back to their homes. Back to Pixie Hollow.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please leave a review. I love to hear what my readers think about the story as it develops.**


	50. Chapter 50

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire and Deputy Emma Swan talked a little more as Mrs. Kensington tried to explain the situation. Emma listened intently as she was told that Valerie thought she was a fairy, her mother was Queen Clarion and Tina was Tinker Bell.

"Tinker Bell?" Emma asked incredulously? "As in Peter Pan and Captain Hook?"

"Yeah," Claire answered. "If it wasn't happening to me I would think it would be silly." Claire then vented her worries that she was going to lose her daughter forever to this head trauma. "I can't live like this. She's my baby, my girl. She doesn't even remember who I am. Or herself."

"Yeah, lot of that going on around here," Emma said under her breath.

Ms. Swan thought about David Nolan and his lost memories. He got them back, but for a few days it was like he was whole different person. This, though, was more extreme. David only lost his memories, he was like a blank slate. Valerie Kensington thought she was someone completely different. A different person, a different species and from a different time. AND she seemed to believe that her mother and sister were different people, too.

"Dr. Whale wants to consult with Dr. Hopper to find out what's happened," Claire told her. "I hope they can fix this. I want my Valerie back."

Emma could sympathize. "I'm sure he'll do everything he can," Emma said, trying to offer any type of comfort to the distressed widow and mother of two. The deputy then had to depart. She had a routine to perform today, which included patrols and the usual daily paperwork.

**~O~**

Answers were not readily forthcoming for Vidia. She continually asked about the current time period and many of the answers she was given had no meaning to her. During a conversation with the queen, she heard a ringing sound. Clarion took a small, black box from her shirt pocket, flipped it open and started to talk to it. It was like she was having a conversation with the slim box.

When she asked what the queen was doing, Tinker Bell said, "Mom, is talking on the phone with someone."

"Somebody lives in that tiny box?" Vidia asked her in return. Tinker Bell assured her that no one lived in the box. Another person had a phone and was talking into it. "Mom" as Tinker Bell kept referring to the queen, was simply holding a conversation with that other person who was somewhere else in Storybrooke.

This made absolutely no sense to Vidia whatsoever. "Why do you keep calling her 'Mom?' She's not our mother. That's Queen Clarion, ruler of the never fairies."

"Aw, c'mon, Val, don't be that way. She's our mother, yours and mine," Tinker Bell replied.

"Both of us?" Vidia knew that Queen Clarion typically acted motherly to all of the fairies of Pixie Hollow. But no one would dare call her Mom or mother or any such variation of the word.

"Yeah, both of us. Why do you think I keep calling you 'sis,' Val? You're my big sister." These were the same answers she had been getting. Never once a variation. Somehow, someone as controlling Tinker Bell and Queen Clarion. Making them believe they were someone else. And acting like someone else. At least, that was how it seemed to Vidia.

Vidia then began to probe her "history" as Valerie. First, if she had a "mother" then did she have a "father," as well?

"Yeah, Charles Valentine Kensington," Tink answered. "You were named for him."

"Okay, so where is he? Why isn't he here with us?" Vidia thought she had Tinker Bell cornered. A way to finally get through to her.

"He died eight years ago of a heart attack," Tink replied.

_Well, now that was awfully convenient_, Vidia thought. "So what is Queen Clarion's name?"

"You mean Mom? Claire Angelica Davis Kensington."

"And you?"

"Christina Margaret Whitman Kensington. And you are Valerie Segall Kensington."

"Segall?"

"Yeah, that was grandma's maiden name?"

"We have a grandmother?"

"We did. All of our grandparents are dead now. They were very old."

"Did they live here?"

"No they lived in…, they lived in… I have no idea where they used to live. Maybe Mom does."

When Clarion stopped talking to her little box, she flipped it closed and put it back into her shirt pocket.  
"Hey, Mom," Tinker Bell called out to her. "Where did your mother and father live? Valerie wants to know."

The queen was about to respond when she got a strange look on her face. "I don't remember," she said. "I must be getting old."

Vidia found this to be quite strange. They should have remembered, but didn't. Neither of them did. The fast flyer turned human then asked other questions about her new home. Mostly the answers given to her were of the kind that assumed she knew what Tink and the queen were talking about. That was going to be a major problem. They were assuming she was from this time frame and that she could understand their strange language. She didn't.

**~O~**

The fast flyer finally had to stop their conversing when she had a need. "Where is the outhouse?" she asked.

"Uh…, you mean the bathroom? I'll show you," Tink said. Clarion flagged down someone who removed the funny vines from her chest. The tube that dripped water into her arm, however, remained.

"What about this?"

"Oh, just take it with you. Remember not to let it sag too much," were all the instructions she received.

Tink helped her out of the bed and led her down the hall. Her bare feet could still feel the cold from the floor. She was taking to a door. "There you go," Tink said to her.

Vidia peered inside and she saw the toilet within this tiny room that was inside the hospital. "It's this supposed to be outside?" she asked. In Pixie Hollow, outhouses were always outdoors. The terrible stench was always overpowering, so they were kept far from any gathering places, work areas and living communities. The latrine was typically a large hole dug into the ground with a small house built atop it for privacy. This one, however, was inside the building.

When Vidia stepped inside, she saw a bowl with water standing from the floor. She understood the basic mechanics of the flip down seat, but why the water or a bowl? On the other side was a basin, but there was no water in it. If anything in this room should have held the water it was the basin, not this strange floor mounted bowl.

"Uh…, how do I use this?"

Tinker Bell's facial expression said _you've got to be kidding_? "Please tell me you know how to use a toilet, because I'm not going to demonstrate that."

"Why is there water in this thing?" Vidia asked. "The water should be in the basin for washing hands, not here in this…, whatever that is."

"Here, you use it like this." Tinker Bell walked into the small room, stepped up to the bowl and pushed down a lever that was just above it. When she did, a powerful whooshing sound filled the space. Water jetted out from under the edges of the bowl and it began to fill.

"It's coming up!" Vidia yelped. "It'll be all over the floor, do something!"

Tinker Bell just face palmed.

Vidia looked on in amazement as the water suddenly began to drop and after a couple of gurgles it disappeared into the bottom before filling to mid-level again. "Where did it go?"

"Down the drain," Tink answered.

"Drain? Where does that go?"

"To the sewer," Tink said sounding exasperated, "you should know this." She then turned to the wash basin and turned one of the handles. Water came from the spigot. No priming or pumping was needed. It just came pouring out. "Right is cold water, left is hot."

"Hot? How does it get hot?"

Tinker Bell just rolled her eyes. "And there is the hand dryer on the wall. Put your hands under it when you're done washing and it will dry your hands for you."

Vidia stared at the funny, white box that hung from the wall. "How does it do that?"

"You'll find out," Tink said, sounding irritated. She then demonstrated a small button on the doorknob. "This locks the door. Turn the lever and it will unlock it. Anything else?" she asked, frustration badly hidden in her vocal tones.

"Yeah, what is that sound from the ceiling? It sounds like-." Tinker Bell just rolled her eyes, exited the room and closed the door behind her.

"Don't forget to lock the door," Tink yelled.

_Okay, push the little button on the lever_, Vidia reminded herself. After a couple of failed attempts, the small button clicked and locked the door. The fast flyer turned human just eyed the strange water filled bowl. She sighed and went about her business. A roll of paper hung from the wall to her left. Large, silver metal bars were mounted on the wall to either side of her. _What are these for?_ she asked herself. They certainly seemed sturdy when she took hold of them.

Vidia had barely been awake for a few scant hours and already she had had a full day. A nerve wracking, fear filled and thoroughly unpleasant day.

It suddenly got worse. A glint of light caught her eye and she looked down to investigate. There was a shiny, metal something stuck to her stomach. Vidia thought it might have been another one of those funny vines the nurse said monitored her heart. She tried to pull it off, but the pain was searing. Almost as if it were stuck into her. She took a closer look. It was stuck into her. It was clasped to her…, to her…, something on her stomach.

When she looked up, she saw her own reflection in the mirrored glass on the wall across from her. She could see something that wasn't right. She put her hands to face and found what it was.

**~O~**

Tina waited just the other side of the door. She was exasperated. Her own sister didn't even know how to use a bathroom. "How weird is that?" she grumbled.

Moments later she heard Valerie through the door. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. Tina grabbed the door handle, but it was locked. "Unlock the door," she yelled. She pounded on the wall and yelled again. "Unlock the door, Valerie. Let me in."

The door clicked open, Tina ran inside. "What's wrong, what happened?"

"Why are there holes in my face?" Valerie yelled, on the verge of tears. "There are holes all over my face. And one in my tongue and there are these things in my bosom and my stomach and down by the naughty place."

"Naughty place?"

"Down there!" Valerie loudly whispered, pointing down to where her legs joined to her trunk.

Tink looked over the places Valerie told her. Her older sister had piercings in her nipples, a belly button ring and one near her crotch.

"How did all this metal get on me?" Valerie asked, sounding frightened.

"Uh, you put it there," Tina answered. "At a tattoo parlor, most likely."

"I did no such thing, now get it off of me!"

"Okay, okay, let me call someone to help."

"Tink, why can't you do it? I don't want some human touching me in these places."

"Okay, okay. I'll call Mom."

"That's even worse." On top of her fear of what this Valerie had done to her person, now she was to be humiliated before her very own queen. Could her day get any worse?

**~O~**

Emma was patrolling the town when her mind stuck on something. She went back a few weeks to when she was investigating Ashley's break-in at Mr. Gold's pawn shop. Henry had told her that Tina Kensington looked like Tinker Bell to him. Now here was Valerie Kensington, the older sibling, claiming that Tina was indeed Tinker Bell. The one introduced in the novels of J. M. Barrie and made famous in the popular Walt Disney animated film of the 1950's. It was an unbelievable coincidence.

Tina was hardly the sassy, vindictive type that Emma remembered from the film. That Tink tried to trick the Lost Boys into killing Wendy Darling. Tina Kensington was the epitome of sugar and spice and everything nice. She was sweet, innocent and loved her family whole heartedly. Valerie, on the other hand, hated her mother and seemed to want to hurt poor Claire at every chance she got. Emma was left wondering whether this was just another attempt at breaking her mother's heart. A well thought out plan of revenge for feeling slighted.

It then occurred to Emma that if she brought this information to Henry's attention it would only reinforce his absurd belief in the curse. The one his adopted mother, the mayor of Storybrooke, supposedly cast in another realm bringing all the fairy tale characters to Maine and robbing them of their memories.

"Why Maine, anyway?" she muttered. "Why not Wyoming or London or Outer Mongolia for that matter?"

It was Emma's hope to eventually convince Henry that his curse theory was just his imagination at work. Or at the very least that he would eventually grow out of this phase and abandon his theory. Ms. Swan thus decided it was best not to tell Henry about Valerie Kensington. Without realizing, she had denied Vidia the one thing she needed more than anything else right now. An ally.

* * *

**This is the fiftieth chapter in this story. A milestone of sorts. Thank you to everyone who has been a loyal reader thus far. Your devotion is much appreciated.**

**Okay, so where did I get those middle names?**

**For Claire / Queen Clarion: Angelica for Angelica Huston, the actress who voices Queen Clarion. Davis for Marc Davis (1913 - 2000), the lead animator for Tinker Bell in Walt Disney's animated classic film and one of Walt's "Nine Old Men."**

**For Tina / Tinker Bell: Margaret for Margaret Kerry, the actress / model used by animators for Tinker Bell in the film _Peter Pan_. Whitman for Mae Whitman, the actress who voices Tinker Bell in the CGI films.**

**For Valerie / Vidia: Segall for Pamela Fionna Segall Adlon. Segall is the maiden name for Pamela Adlon who voices Vidia in the current films.**


	51. Chapter 51

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

When evening came Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell told Vidia they had to leave for home. Overnight guests in what was called the ICU were not allowed. This left Vidia to suffer through the night alone.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," her queen said in a distinctively motherly way. "We'll be back in the morning."

"But I don't know anyone here and I don't know how to use anything," she told them.

"It'll be okay," the queen answered. "There are plenty of nurses and technicians here who can help."

It took some time, but eventually they were able to convince Vidia she would be safe in her hospital bed. "Just get some rest tonight. Tomorrow will be different. I promise," Clarion told her.

The fast flyer, now trapped in human form, was left alone in a mostly silent room. Yet to her the space was overwhelmed by the sounds of all the devices that surrounded her. They chirped and beeped and whirred and made other noises she could not understand. She curled up, afraid, and tried to sleep through the night.

When she was finally able to slip into slumber, Vidia had nightmares. Nightmares of running away. Running from something that could not be stopped, though she could not see what it was. She only knew it was a shapeless void. No matter how fast she flew, no matter how hard she beat her wings, the shapeless void overwhelmed her. It strangled her neck and clouded her eyes. She could feel her lungs filling with a burning mist. Her arms and legs were paralyzed.

Then a sense of piece came over here like a gentle wave. Air rushed past her hair and face. She was moving, moving with great speed. Towering trees, pines, their trunks covered in moss rushed passed her on either side. A single beam of light shot out ahead of her. There was a persistent thrumming noise. It calmed her, reassured her.

Despite her speed, Vidia was not flying. The ground was just under her feet. She was seated, but her body was in motion. She gripped two handles directly in front of her to steer. As the road curved, she turned with it. The trees shooting past even faster now. The thrumming noise became louder and pitched up to almost a whine. There was no anxiety. No fears. No concerns. Just a pure joy that came from this boundless freedom.

Behind her, that void crept up upon her again. It gained ground and relentlessly pursued Vidia. She tried to move faster. Her speed was twice what it was before. The shapeless cloud never lost ground. Vidia willed herself even faster, the whine was high pitched now. She could feel the thrumming in her body. Then she came to a hard turn and couldn't make it. She slipped off the road and into a darkened canyon.

"Wake up," a voice called. "Wake up, you're having a bad dream."

Vidia's eyes shot open. She was still in the hospital bedroom, surrounded by the human machines that beeped and chirped and whirred. Vidia turned her eyes and saw the face of a lovely, young human female. Her face was soft with gentle concern. She reached over and lightly pulled the hair from Vidia's face.

"You were having a nightmare," she said. The voice was pleasant and reassuring. "It's okay. Nothing is going to hurt you here."

The fast flyer looked around. The lights were dimmed. "What time is it?" she asked the kindly young woman.

"It's three in the morning," the young lady dressed in blue answered. "Do you want someone to say with you until you fall asleep?"

Vidia felt insulted by this. Why would she need someone to stand by her until she fell asleep? She was a big girl. So it surprised her to no end when she answered, "Please!"

Her nerves were so shot that Vidia's knee jerk self-superiority was completely detached from her emotional weakness. Her thoughts, for that brief moment, were utterly separated from her words. The young woman brought a chair to sit by Vidia's side. She held the young fast flyer's hands in her own.

"Now lie back and close your eyes," the woman said. Vidia was apprehensive with a human so close. But she was tired and wanted to rest, so she did as told. The woman then began to sing a pleasant tune.

"My own home, my own home," she sang ever so sweetly. It was a song about a young woman who lived in a distant village. She had to bring water for cooking while her mother tended to the home. The song was about the young girl dreaming of the day when she would be old enough to have her own home, while she sent her daughter to fetch the water.

It soothed Vidia's nerves and helped her rest. Soon, the fast flyer drifted back into sleep. This time she had no nightmares, only lovely dreams of making swirls in the air and blowing leaves off of trees in the crisp, autumn temperatures.

It was the first time since waking up in this horror, that Vidia felt comfortable being around one of these humans.

**~O~**

Claire slept fitfully. Her fears of losing her daughter seemed to be coming to pass, but not in a way she never thought was possible. Her dreams were filled with wonderful memories of her and her baby girl playing games like patty cake and hide and seek.

Then, in her dream, young Valerie took one look at her and said, "Who are you?"

"I'm your mother, sweetie," she answered.

"NO YOU'RE NOT! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" Valerie yelled back. She looked panicked and fearful of Claire, then she got up and ran away from her. Claire tried to run after her, but for some reason her feet could not move. She was stuck as her baby girl ran into the distance and disappeared, forever.

**~O~**

Tina slept better, but her thoughts were just as unpleasant. She could see how badly her mother was shaken by the developments of this day. What Tina did not fully realize was just how badly shaken she was, as well. Tina could not fathom it at the time, but she leaned on her mother more than Claire leaned on her. Before falling asleep she called up her boyfriend.

"Hello, Clarence, can you come with us to the hospital tomorrow?" she asked him. "I need you there."

"Yeah, sure, Tina. Anything for you. I'm your rock."

"Thanks," she replied. It was the only thing that made her feel strong this day.

**~O~**

The next morning, Valerie was rudely awakened by hospital staff who were disconnecting the various devices attached to her. One nurse, the same one who had sung her to sleep last night, told her not to worry. "You're being moved to a semi private room."

"What about my friends?"

"Your friends? Don't you mean your family? We will tell them where you are when they get here."

Another nurse brought a small tube with a plunger on one end. She removed the tip from the other and revealed a short and slender needle. "What is that?" Vidia asked, frightened.

The pleasant nurse who had sung to her informed Vidia that it was an injection to prevent the spread of staph infection. "We'll have to give it to you in your stomach. Don't worry, it doesn't really hurt."

Vidia was very reluctant, but the assurances of the pleasant singing nurse gave Vidia the confidence to let the other nurse prick her with the needle. It didn't hurt very much at all and it was over and done with in mere seconds. The pleasant nurse did inform her that if a red blot formed it will go away quickly. "It just means one of the blood vessels was pricked. It will heal rapidly and you will be fine."

Vidia had no idea what all of that mean, but the sweetly sing song way the nurse told her this made her feel comfortable enough to not be afraid. "Will you be coming with me to this other room?"

"No, I have to work here in the ICU," the kindly nurse said. "But don't worry, there are plenty of good nurses that will help you. Your family will be here soon, so don't be afraid."

**~O~**

When Claire and Tina arrived in the ICU the next morning, they found a sickly looking man in the same spot where Valerie had been resting. Claire became hysterical, thinking her precious girl had passed away. She had to be calmed by Tina and the nursing staff.

"Don't worry," someone told her, "she's been moved to another room." Quickly the staff in the ICU found which room Valerie had been moved and gave Claire directions. Mrs. Kensington apologized for her outburst. The nurses were very kind in telling her there was nothing for which she had to apologize.

Quickly, Tina and her mother found the floor and then the room where Valerie had been moved. She was in her bed sleeping quietly. To Claire, she looked like an angel. Not unlike how she looked all those years ago when she first took the three week old Valerie into her arms for the very first time.

**~O~**

Emma had received a call from the Mayor's Office. Rather unusual since it was a Sunday morning. When she arrived Emma found a rather bitter looking Regina Mills sitting behind her desk. Everyone in town was still upset over the death of Sheriff Graham. Regina, despite everything that had happened, must have been just as upset.

"You called Madame Mayor?" Emma asked. She really didn't want to be here, but as Deputy and acting sheriff she had little choice.

"Yes, why haven't you filed charges against the Kensington girl?" Mayor Mills asked.

"For what?"

"For what!? Speeding, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest," Regina spit out. "It was all in your report. You're the acting sheriff, now why aren't you doing your duty, Deputy Swan?"

Regina's tone was very brusque. No doubt there was still much animosity over how events played out that night just before Graham passed away.

"I saw no need. Madame Mayor, Valerie is in the hospital with a serious injury. She woke up yesterday thinking she was someone else."

"Who, exactly?"

Emma almost laughed at the absurdity. "Get ready for this, she thinks she is a fairy from Never Land named Vidia."

"Interesting. Why does this prevent you from arresting her?"

"She doesn't remember who she is, Madam Mayor. No memories of her past, just this crazy new identity." Emma told her. "Do you know that Valerie thinks her sister is Tinker Bell and her mother is the queen of the never fairies. Someone by the name of…, of Clarion, I think. Dr. Hopper is being brought in to consult."

Emma wasn't looking directly at the mayor when she spoke. Her eyes were looking away, trying to remember the name Valerie had given her mother: "Clarion." If Emma had been watching the mayor, she would have seen instant recognition in Regina's body language and facial expressions. "Besides, Graham never arrested her before. He just gave her speeding tickets. Graham believed that families should work things out before the law got involved."

"Well Claire Kensington didn't work things out with her daughter, did she? How many times did Graham have to take Valerie back home? Claire Kensington isn't a fit mother, so now we have to do her job."

"Hey, if you want I'll write a ticket if that will make you feel better."

"No, it won't deputy. Valerie put lives in danger by driving at this insane speed," Regina barked. "On a slick night like that, if she had lost control her motorcycle wouldn't have stopped at the curb, it would have plowed into a house causing severe property damage or maybe even killing someone."

"She did hurt someone," Emma reminded her. "She hurt herself and her mother and her sister. Isn't that penalty enough? Besides, she can't even remember who she is. Valerie might not be mentally competent enough to stand trial. That would be like prosecuting an innocent."

"No one is innocent in this town!" Mayor Mills yelled back.

Emma was taken aback by this statement. It was one thing for a mayor to single out a single person or a small group like a gang or criminal syndicate. But to throw guilt like a blanket over an entire town was unsettling to say the least.

"What about Henry? Isn't he an innocent?" Emma asked.

"You leave my son out of this, Deputy Swan!" Regina growled.

"He's my son, too," Emma declared.

"Just because you gave birth to him doesn't make him your son," Regina said lashing out. "How does giving him away make you a fit mother?"

"It broke my heart to give him up," Emma responded. "I had no choice because I could not give him what he needed. So I made a terrible sacrifice. I gave up my own son, my flesh and blood, so he could have a better life. That's what being a good mother is all about, Madam Mayor."

It always came back to Henry, with these two women. No matter what the argument was ultimately about, Henry at some point became the focus. Now was no different.

"And I raised him, bathed him, changed every diaper and nursed every skinned knee and every sniffle and cold," Regina said, seething with rage. "I attended every school play, praised every good grade and achievement, and punished every wrong that he did. And I went to great lengths to instill a sense of morality in him. THAT is what makes a good mother."

"You haven't answered my question, Madam Mayor," Emma quietly protested, holding back her desire to lick the tar out of this woman. "Is Henry an innocent? Or not?"

"You know he's an innocent."

"Then if he can be innocent, so can Valerie Kensington," Emma declared. "I'll watch her closely and keep tabs with Archie. If this turns out to be a scam I'll throw her sorry ass in jail faster than you can say Never Land. And unless you have some burning evidence that proves Valerie is faking then this meeting is over."

With those words Emma stormed out of the office.

**~O~**

Regina watched her acting deputy leave, defiant to the last. She was furious at Emma Swan for blatantly disobeying her orders. If Graham were still alive she could control him and there would be no question that Valerie would be in custody. But she couldn't control Emma Swan. There had to be a way to remove her from office. For the moment, however, she had another problem.

Valerie Kensington had somehow managed to break the curse upon herself. Regina had no knowledge of this Vidia. She had never even met Queen Clarion, nor had she visited her land. It was only through a third party that she first became aware of Pixie Hollow. It held something precious, something that could give Regina back the one thing she desired most. Clarion, though, took away Regina's hope. Denying Regina that one last tether to the happy life she so desperately wanted. It left Queen Regina with an emptiness in her heart. One that could only be filled with vengeance.

If Valerie Kensington was indeed this Vidia from Pixie Hollow, then she threatened everything Regina had gone to so much trouble to create. If Emma Swan ever believed Valerie's claim then together they would became a great threat to her. Greater than just Swan alone. Regina had to find some way to prove to Emma and a court judge that Valerie was faking, even if she wasn't.

Mayor Mills had to drive Valerie and the entire Kensington family out of Storybrooke. The curse was designed so no one who was brought here could leave the city. If they tried, something terrible would happen to them. This was Regina's new endgame for Clarion. Drive her and her two girls out of the city and let the curse destroy them. All she needed was that burning evidence that Emma so thoughtfully demanded. Now Regina just had to find it.

* * *

**Well, now Regina is aware of Vidia. Hmmm, I wonder what she will do to discredit Vidia's claim.**

**BTW, the song the nurse sang to Vidia, comes from Walt Disney's _The Jungle Book_. It is sung by the human girl at the end of the film.**

**Thanks to everyone for reading. Feedback and reviews are always welcome.**


	52. Chapter 52

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia eyes opened to a brightly lit room. To the left of her was a hanging curtain acting as a screen. To the right was a small set of double doors. A closet? She looked across the room, the queen and her close friend, Tinker Bell were hovering nearby.

"She's awake," Tinker Bell's sweet voice announced.

The visage of her queen, Clarion, the woman who for some reason insisted that she was her mother, came into view.

"How are you, Valerie?" Clarion asked her.

"I'm fine. Hungry, though."

Clarion smiled. "The nurses are already serving breakfast, they will be here soon, dear."

**~O~**

_When Vidia was moved to this room, she was afraid that the only two people she knew in this strange land of humans would never find her. The trip seemed to take forever. She was wheeled through one hallway, then another. There were more twists and turns than one of Lyria's mystery and suspense entertainments. Then she was placed into a tiny room. She thought that this was her destination, but suddenly it moved. Vidia felt herself ascending. It was a heady yet natural feeling. For a brief moment Vidia felt almost like herself again._

_The men who were wheeling her about called the ascending room an "elevator" and told her they were moving to a different floor in the hospital. When the double doors parted she was introduced to a whole new hallway. Or maybe it wasn't. This looked just like the halls she had just left behind. White, sterile, wide with doors positioned every so often in the walls. The sameness was so frustrating that even she couldn't figure out where she was anymore._

_"How do you remember where everything is in this place?" she asked the men wheeling her around the hospital._

_"You learn quickly," one of them answered. _

_"Yeah, unless you want to end up like Ernie," the other said with a laugh._

_"Uh huh, he got lost for weeks. When we eventually found him, he was dressed in rags and nibbling on his own foot for sustenance."_

_The two men shared a laugh, clueing in Vidia that they were just joshing with her. At least, she hoped it was all just a joke. Vidia didn't want to end up lost in this place, with only tatters for clothing and gnawing on her leg. _

_"Don't worry, were just joking with you," the second one finally said. "There are plenty of signs and maps posted so we never get lost."_

_Vidia's mind was put at ease. This must be what passes for humor among the humans of this strange land, she decided._

_One them then asked the other if he had seen the games on Thursday night._

_"Yup. Dallas shouldn't have that much trouble with the Dolphins."_

_"Oh please, as long Jerry Jones is running the show they'll have problems with Pop Warner football teams. The real surprise was the Ravens. Who knew they would kick the Niners' asses like that," the second replied._

_"I did! Remember? I said that the Ravens were the team to beat this year."_

_"Oh yeah? Is that why the Niners still have a better record? Or the Packers are undefeated so far this year?"_

_"Hey, book it, buddy. The Ravens are Superbowl bound."_

_"Yeah, maybe next century!"_

_"What are two talking about?" Vidia asked them._

_The two smiled at each other. "Must not be much of a football fan."_

_"Uh..., no, I guess not."_

**~O~**

Seeing Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell in the room with her was reassuring to Vidia. They had found their way and weren't going to abandon her. Without their memories, Vidia was concerned as to just how loyal they would be towards her now that she was no longer this "Valerie" person who had been so important to them. Thankfully, here they were, fawning over her.

Despite this reassurance, their presence and this place was deeply disturbing. It meant that every bit of yesterday was real. Vidia was really here in this place, turned into a human as were Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell. They were all surrounded by humans she did not know.

Vidia was now in a place where she could not operate or understand anything. Although she had been fairly assured by others, it still was a matter of anxiety for her that her new environment was alien to her in every possible way.

For instance, a large box hung from the wall across from her. Its front covered in curved glass, which appeared dark. She was told how to operate it with a large and clunky control box that was sitting on the bed at her side. Yet she had no idea what it was or how to actually work this control box. None of the labels were helpful. Channel? Volume? Power was somewhat straight forward, but if she couldn't manage the others what good was a button marked "power?"

**~O~**

"Oh, here they come, Val," Tinker Bell called from the doorway.

A vegetarian breakfast was served to Vidia. It consisted of eggs, toast, oatmeal, fruit, butter, jelly, orange juice and iced tea. The food wasn't too bad, but the eggs could have used some salt. Tink then showed her a tiny packet labelled "salt."

"Oh great, now you tell me," Vidia grumbled. "Is this what humans eat all the time?"

"Well what else would we eat?" Tinker Bell asked. Vidia had to remind herself that Tink was not herself and could not remember her former life.

"We, meaning fairies, eat pancakes, honeycombs, muffins, sweet breads, desserts, mouse milk, mouse cheese and fruit."

"Wow, that's a lot of sugar," Tinker Bell said. "Are these fairies all diabetic?" she said with sarcastic sweetness.

Vidia had no idea what that word meant. "Dia.., dia..?"

"Diabe-, never mind. Here, we brought these things from home for you." Tinker Bell produced a small bag. She removed a few items. "Here is your iPod, your phone and your Gameboy."

"Where did you get that game system?" Clarion asked, sounding concerned.

"I don't know," Vidia answered. "I don't even know what any of this does."

Tinker Bell demonstrated the small white, box she had called an iPod. Tink ask her to put these small, white vines into her ears. "They're earbuds, so you can hear your music."

"Music? From where?" Vidia asked.

Tinker Bell just stopped for a moment. She had that _you've got to be kidding_ look again on her face. "From here," she said, pointing to the white box.

"That? Music comes from that little thing? Where is the orchestra?"

Tinker Bell stifled a giggle. "There is no orchestra, Val. It just stores your music."

"How does one capture and keep sound?"

"Just put in the earbuds," Tink said with an exasperated voice. It sounded most familiar. _At least that part of Tinker Bell wasn't gone_, Vidia noted wryly. Vidia stuffed the small buds into her ears. Tinker Bell plugged in the other end of the strange, white vine into the white box and pressed something. A cacophony of the most horrid, awful loud noise filled her ears. She yanked the vines out of her ears.

"THAT'S NOT MUSIC!" she yelled. "It's nothing but ear splitting noise!"

"Wha-? Valerie, that's your favorite band, Cradle of Filth."

Vidia just stared at the little blonde girl with big, wide eyes.

"Cradle of Filth, remember?" Tink answered. "You keep telling us how they are the greatest dark wave metal band right now."

Vidia scratched her head. "I don't who are what they are, but I'm not listening to that..., that noise!" Vidia answered firmly.

Upon saying this she could have sworn she heard the queen utter the phrase, "Oh, thank God."

A nurse arrived to remove her breakfast tray and informed Vidia she was scheduled for another MRI.

She had no idea what that meant.

"They are going to look inside your head and check for any injuries," the nurse helpfully informed her.

"WHAT!? How are they going to do that? Are they going to cut my head open?"

"It's a non-invasive procedure, Ms. Kensington. You won't feel a thing," the nurse told her. Not that this meant anything to the fast flyer. She glanced over at her queen and her friend. Vidia had reached a point where she wasn't in a constant state of fright and anxiety. She was achieving a certain level of comfort when she received this news. Now, she was frightened for her life all over again.

"What are they going to do to me?"

"Oh don't worry, honey," Queen Clarion told her. "They are just going to put you inside a big machine that will take pictures of inside your head."

"WHAT!?" she screamed. To Vidia, the only thing she knew of taking pictures was a style of camera used in the very earliest days of the 1900's. They were large, heavy, and bulky and their lenses telescoped forward inside an accordion like device to focus the image. Dr. Griffiths used one to record images of rocks, plants and animals he encountered. His way of no longer causing harm to "specimens" as he called them in his scientific research. Using this memory as a frame of reference, Vidia could only assume that her head would have to be cut open to photograph her brain.

She started to panic, but her queen and Tinker Bell tried to calm her. "Don't worry, Sis," Tink said. "No one is going to cut you open. The machine uses magnetic fields to look inside. You won't even know it's happening to you."

"Oh great. So they're going to conk me out before tearing my skull off?"

"Oh, sweetie," Clarion said with a gentle smile. "If they cut you open like that it would kill you. Do you really think a hospital would use a machine that killed the patients it was trying to heal?"

It was an argument that made perfect sense to Vidia. Yet she could not conceive how pictures of her brain could be taken without splitting her head open. Even with the queen's sound argument, Vidia was as frightened for her life as she had been when she first woke in this strange land.

The anxiety levels she was experiencing made her nauseous. So much so in fact, that she felt her breakfast coming back up. "I'm going to throw up," she announced.

Queen Clarion rushed to help her out of bed and into the bathroom. In one of the most unusual and intimate acts of compassion she had ever experienced from her queen, the woman wrapped one arm around her torso while using the other to hold back Vidia's hair as she wretched up her food. At the conclusion, Clarion wetted several paper towels and wiped Vidia's mouth clean. She then helped the young fairy to her feet, flushed the toilet and gave her a glass with water to rinse out her mouth.

Of all the times she had been around Queen Clarion, never had she seen her become so directly involved with something so menial. Or so disgusting. The queen always avoided such things, instructing others to do the dirty work. "Why did you do that?"

"Oh, sweetheart, you're my baby," Clarion answered. "I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't."

The look in Clarion's eyes was of unwavering dedication, compassion and love. That look was not new to Vidia, but it was so different this time. It seemed deeply personal. The last time the fast flyer could remember such a deep attachment was at the border. Tinker Bell had brought Periwinkle into the warm seasons using her snow making machine. When the ice ran out, Peri had to be raced back to the Winter Woods where both Lord Milori and Queen Clarion instructed the two sisters that they could never see each other ever again. The loss was devastating to both and the looks in their eyes, the look of sisterly love, was so different from what Vidia had ever encountered before.

Now she was seeing that same look in Queen Clarion's eyes, only this time it was directed at her. What did the humans call it? Maternal? Once Vidia was cleaned up and her mouth washed of the vomitus, Clarion put Vidia's arms around her shoulders and assisted her back to the bed. Then, with a gentle touch, like a mother's, she boosted the sickly girl back onto the thin mattress.

"Oh you've gotten so big," the queen said, while doing this.

"What does that mean?" Vidia replied.

Clarion smiled. "I remember when you were a tiny baby and I could hold you in my arms," she answered, that maternal look in her face again. "Your hands were so small they could barely clasp around my finger. It seems like only yesterday, sweetheart."

Vidia was confused by her reminiscence. She had never been an infant. All fairies were born into this world…, their world, physically as young adults like herself or teens like Tinker Bell. It all depended on how old the baby was when it laughed for the first time.

The queen then carefully tucked Vidia under the covers to protect her from the cold in the room and kissed her ever so gently on the forehead. "Rest for now," she whispered. The fast flyer felt tired after vomiting the entire contents of her stomach. Within minutes she was asleep again. A sweet sounding voice humming to her. It was Clarion, acting so much like a human mother.

**~O~**

She had slept for just over an hour. When her eyes opened again, she saw not two persons, but a ceiling rushing past her eyes. "Where am I? Where are you taking me?"

"To your MRI, Ms. Kensington," an orderly replied. "Don't worry, we'll have you back in your room in no time."

Vidia gulped hard, the taste of her vomitus still in her throat. She worried if she would see her queen or that cold hospital room ever again.

**~O~**

Inside the room the fairy turned human saw a huge device that looked like a giant bagel standing on end. A strange looking tongue stuck out of the hole that was in the center of the huge machine. She was asked to lay down on the tongue. She remembered what the queen had told her. Hospitals don't try to kill the patients they want to heal. Working entirely on that single premise, Vidia moved from her bed to the tongue. The "tongue" slid her into the giant bagel. The person who was to operate this machine told her to remain still.

There was some noise that made her flinch.

"Please remain still," the person outside of the bagel instructed again. She lay there, noises coming from the machine. She kept wondering how this thing was going to take pictures of her brain.

Then she heard, "Okay, all done."

"That's it?"

"Yes, that was it. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Well how did it take pictures of my insides?" she asked.

The person who removed her from the tongue and helped back into bed tried to explain it to her, but none of what was said to her made sense. Once again, it was being explained as if she were from this time period and it was assumed she understood the words and concepts being used.

"Oh…, right, of course" she answered. Her vocal tones betrayed her words.

"Don't worry, most people who receive an MRI don't get it either," the person in the room replied. For once, Vidia felt a kinship with the people of Storybrooke. If they didn't understand this machine then at least she wasn't alone in that respect.

**~O~**

The orderlies who wheeled her back to the hospital room didn't say much to her. Not that Vidia cared to talk to them. The last conversation she overheard left her head spinning. Something about how birds, ravens, were able to beat up on some niners or miners or something. Silvermist would not have been pleased to know that someone or something called Dallas was having trouble with dolphins. If Sil and Fawn had been around then there would have been no difficulties. And as far who Jerry Jones was, she didn't seem to care to meet the man from the context of the conversation.

In truth, Vidia was just relieved to have had this MRI thing over and done with. No harm came to her and somehow a giant, white bagel with a giant tongue took pictures of her brain. If she ever got back to Pixie Hollow the healing talents would have a good laugh.

Her stress level was still high, but at least there was one less thing to worry about. She could go back to concentrating on how to reverse whatever magic had brought her, Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell to this place and turned them into humans. The faster she could get them all back home the better.

**~O~**

This all changed in an instant when, upon entering her room she was face to face with Terence and Lord Milori, both were also human and both were missing their wings. Both also had no idea who they really were. Lord Milori went by the name Hartley Winter. Terence went by the name Clarence.

_If they're here, too, then who knows how many of us were brought to this land,_ she thought.

Suddenly her quest became so much more complicated. Before finding out who or what caused this travesty against the Never Fairies of Pixie Hollow, Vidia now had to find out how many others were brought to Storybrooke. Considering the thousands of fairies who lived on Never Land Island, it could be a daunting task.

_This can't be happening, _she told herself over and over again.

* * *

**It seems that Vidia has a larger task ahead of her now. Wait till next chapter when she meets another old friend.**

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewing and following or favoriting this story. It is always appreciated.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Moments after Valerie had been removed to her MRI, Hartley Winter arrived. Immediately, Claire embraced him and the two shared a kiss. Earlier Valerie wretched, now it was Tina who wanted to throw up. How could her own mother act that way towards this man? In Tina's opinion, she was betraying her father's memory.

Tina felt so sick to her stomach and so angry in her heart that she had to step outside just to calm down. Removing herself from scene didn't help matters much as Tina kept thinking of all the different ways her mother seeing this Hartley Winter fellow was so wrong and on so many different levels. Both Tina and Valerie knew that their mother was going out with someone, but Tina assumed she was just going out with a friend. A platonic relationship. The kissing and hugging spoke otherwise of their feelings for each other.

The more she thought about it, the more wound up she got until Tina nearly punched the wall in anger. She only stopped when she realized it would hurt her more than the wall. And of course her mother would hear it, come out and yell at her, demanding to know why she did it. Like telling her would help any. No wonder Valerie couldn't stand her.

"Hi, Tina, sorry I'm so late." Clarence had arrived. Finally.

"What took you so long?!" she growled at him. "You were supposed to meet me here a long time ago!"

"Sorry, my idiot roommates kept me up all night long," he explained. "I went to bed, but since it was Saturday night they decided to stay up until almost four in the morning playing Guitar Hero on the Xbox. I couldn't sleep with all that loud music filling the house."

"Oh, I see. You decided to stay up all night long playing your stupid video games rather than be rested for me," she groused.

"No, I told you. I went to bed early. I always do, but the noise from that game kept me up all night."

"You could have just closed the door," Tina shot back, now even angrier.

"I did close the door," he answered back. "Those things are thin like paper."

"You couldn't ask them to stop?"

"I did. They didn't want to. My roommates just don't care," Clarence replied. "They work hard all week long and come Saturday night they want to relax, play games and drink beer."

"Oh, so you were drunk, too?! Now I know where I am in your life. You just better hope I don't downgrade you like you've done to me."

Tina was already angry when she stepped outside, now she was furious. Then Clarence said something that just pushed her buttons in all the wrong ways possible.

"Tina, uh…, is it…, is it your time of the month?"

That was a very personal question and one that Tina took so much offense to.

"My time of the-? _Oh that does it_. Why don't you just go home, Clarence," she said, scolding him. "You seem to be good at that."

"If you don't want me here for you, then I'll stay for Valerie. She needs all the friends she can get right now," he told her quietly, but firmly.

"Augh, fine, whatever." She stomped her foot and crossed her arms. Tina stood out in the hallway steaming mad. Clarence walked into the room where Tina overheard her mother greeting him warmly.

"Hmph. Is she gonna kiss him, too?" Tina muttered.

* * *

OFF THE COAST OF NEVER LAND (The Edwardian Period)

The scouts held their position a good distance from the cloud which surrounded their homeland. The dark purple mist which had taken their queen and so many other fairies churned with fury and spit lightning at them as if challenging the scouts to come near. It was a mocking challenge as every fairy knew floating too close was a death sentence.

Earlier, one airship had drifted too close. Before the occupants could fly it back to a safe distance, lightning lashed outward and struck it. The cotton and wood caught fire instantly. All the scouts aboard tumbled into the waters below. Flames consumed their wings too fast for them to escape to another airship. Their friends and guild mates watched helplessly as they dropped into the English Channel and drowned.

Despite this, the rest of the scouts held their ground. None of the fairies or sparrow men fled. They had their orders and were determined to follow them completely. The order had been to watch for incoming fairies. A baby's first laugh which would become the latest member of their society.

Prime Minister Redleaf was concerned that none would ever find their way to the Griffiths' yard where New Pixie Hollow had been founded. The scouts worried the same once given their task. How many scouts never came into being because of this deadly mist? How many brothers and sisters did they lose in the month and a half since leaving before being assigned this duty?

A farseeing talent spotted what they were looking for. He reported to Fairy Jimmy, the scout overseer.

"Look alive!" yelled Fairy Jimmy. "We have incoming!"

A fast flyer zipped out from one of the carriers and directed the laugh, which was piggybacking on an oak leaf, nudging it along with her winds. The flyer gently pushed the leaf into one of the balloon carriers. The airship had been assigned the duty of collecting all the laughs and returning them to the mainland and New Pixie Hollow. The flyer, Wisp, had volunteered for this job. She and Vidia had always maintained a very contentious friendship. Both were very talented, headstrong and competitive. Now Wisp mourned the loss of her guild mate. Coming here was a way to honor Vidia's memory and celebrate her life.

"Aye, she would be proud," Fairy Jimmy told her. Wisp, however, didn't feel proud. She broke down crying knowing she was replacing Vidia in this important task.

"We all miss them," the scout guild master said to her in a quiet tone of voice. "But Vidia wouldn't stand for such blubbering, now would she?"

"No. No she wouldn't. But I can't help myself."

The guild master sighed. Jimmy put his arm around the young flyer. She put her head against his shoulders and sobbed until she could cry no more. When the sun hung low on the horizon Wisp finally stood up to watch the sunset. "I think, I think I feel better now," she whispered to him.

"You just needed a time and a place to let it all out."

"Thanks, Fairy Jimmy." Indeed the catharsis had been just the tonic Wisp needed to put the loss of her friend behind her. The overseer put his arm around Wisp and pulled her in closely to him. Together they watched the sun sink behind the waters and the distant mainland.

"Call me Jim," he told her.

Many other such strange friendships and romances bloomed in this way. This lengthy period of stress tested all the remaining fairies of Never Land in a way no one had expected. As a result, emotional outbursts, personality quirks and individual characteristics rose to the surface that never would have under normal circumstances. These softer sides often attracted the most curious friends or the oddest suitors.

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Lord Milori? You're here, too?"

"I beg your pardon?" Hartley asked Valerie.

"No, sweetheart," Claire said to her oldest girl. "This is Hartley Winter, remember?"

Valerie stared at the two of them, rather confused. "Hartley Winter? No, this is Lord Milori, ruler of the Winter Woods."

Claire sighed.

"What is she talking about?" Hartley asked Claire.

She took him aside and explained what had been happening since she awoke. "Oh you poor, dear woman." Hartley replied, with a voice that was both consoling and supportive. "What can I do to help?"

"Just be yourself and help her to recall who she really is," Claire answered.

"Like David Nolan."

"Yes, like David Nolan."

Valerie had already began talking to Clarence, calling him "Terence." She said he was a dust keeper. "You collect and distribute pixie dust to everyone in Pixie Hollow," she told him.

He laughed. "That sounds like what I do at the post office," he said. "But I deliver mail, Val."

"Mail?"

"Yeah! Mail. Letters, bills, coupons, packages. You remember? Mail?"

"I know what mail is, why are you delivering it?"

"I'm a mailman. Have been since I graduated high school. You've seen me at your house before."

Dr. Whale arrived at the room and asked to speak with Claire directly. Hartley pulled aside Clarence to fill him in on what has happened with Valerie.

Out in the hallway, Claire didn't notice her younger daughter in the distance, fuming mad. Instead, all her attention was focused on Dr. Whale. "Yes, Doctor? What is it? Will Valerie be okay?"

"I want you to see something," he said. He directed her attention to a laptop mounted on a mobile platform. He opened up a photo. It was a strange, computer image of a human brain. He described it as a horizontal image of a healthy human female brain at about thirty years of age. The image was colorful, showing both hemispheres and activity levels in colors ranging from blues and greens to oranges, reds and in some cases purples.

Whale used it as a base line for comparison. The next image he showed Claire was an MRI taken when Valerie was brought into the hospital right after the accident. The image was somewhat similar to that of the baseline. He then brought up a third image on the screen.

"This the magnetic resonance image we just took of Valerie." The new image which appeared was very different. He showed her the significant increase in brain activity.

"What does that mean?" Claire asked, sounding terrified of the likely answer. "Is she brain damaged?"

"Hardly," Dr. Whale answered. "Claire, this change may have occurred as a defense mechanism following the accident. More astonishing is that this is the kind of activity we generally find from a much older person."

Claire's look conveyed her confusion.

"As we age our brains improve certain functions, everything from vocabulary to reasoning advances," Whale told her. "Your daughter's MRI imagine shows a brain that is middle aged. Valerie isn't brain damaged, if anything she'll have more clarity of thought."

"Could this explain why Val thinks she is someone entirely different? Why she can't remember any of us?"

Whale sighed. "It's hard to say. There is no brain damage visible. It is more likely a psychological issue."

"So, she _wants_ to be someone different," Claire reasoned. "She doesn't want to be my daughter anymore."

"Mrs. Kensington, we don't know that," Dr. Whale replied. "Dr. Archie Hopper should be able to provide some answers. He's agreed to come tomorrow and examine Valerie."

"Yes, thank you, doctor." Claire walked back towards Valerie's hospital room. She slumped when she walked, looking dejected. Tina was standing off to the side. Her back was to her mother, Claire didn't see how angry she was.

"I'm glad I still have you, pumpkin," Claire whispered.

One look inside the room and she could see her eldest holding a conversation with Clarence and Hartley. Both seemed rather perplexed. Clearly Valerie had them all twisted in knots. Claire didn't want to believe that her daughter was completely gone. She would rather believe that Valerie was just playing mind games. At least then she would know that Valerie was alive and well, even if she hated her mother. No matter the reason for Valerie's unusual behavior, it was torture for Claire Kensington.

**~O~**

Elsewhere in Storybrooke, Mayor Mills was making the best of her day off. Most of Graham's funeral arrangements had been taken care of. Everything else was left in the care of the funeral director and the church where the service was to be held. She took Henry shopping today, browsing different shops, buying him winter clothes, a few nice things for herself and finally a walk through the video store.

With Emma Swan constantly trying to take her son away, Regina decided she might make a few pleasant memories with Henry, to help him deal with the loss of Sheriff Graham. And possibly win him over. Archie had agreed to a few extra sessions to assist on his end, and he suggested some mother / son activities. The video store seemed like a good idea. Let Henry pick a few movies they could watch together.

During her browsing in the children's section she came across the usual family fair. Everything from simple movies like Barbie direct to home video fluff to highly regarded films such as _Toy Story_ and _Old Yeller_. In the Disney section she found a few DVD's that she thought her son might want to watch.

Her eyes glanced across several titles, including one that made her do a double take. She removed the slim, green colored case from the shelf and read the title. She flipped it over and reviewed its contents. While Henry kept looking, Regina walked to the video store attendant. A young, blonde woman named Lydia.

"What can you tell me about this feature?" she asked. Lydia proceeded to explain the basic plot and some of the characters. As she listened, Regina began to smile. Finally she had that all important evidence that Deputy Swan had so desperately wanted her to produce.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. I love feedback from the readership. It lets me know what people think about the story and what improvements I can make.**

**Thanks to Mastermind4892 for assistance with this chapter. Your help was invaluable. I hope I got it all correct.**


	54. Chapter 54

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

As the day wore on, Vidia was happy to have more visitors. She was happy because if she did not recognize them then were not her friends from Pixie Hollow. She did not know the size of Storybrooke, but the more people she was able to eliminate from her list of friends the easier her job became.

A tall, dark haired girl named Ruby came by with a small bouquet of flowers. "It's from Granny and me," she said. Vidia was a bit alarmed at how short her pants were. She did not know Ruby from Pixie Hollow, but understood it to mean that Valerie had known the girl and her grandmother.

"Thanks," Vidia said. "They look very pretty."

They in fact did look pretty. And smelled even better. Rosetta might be jealous if she were here to see it.

"Oh, and Granny sent this over. An egg salad sandwich. She heard how you only wanted vegetarian dishes." The small box contained a sandwich, long pieces of golden fried somethings and a pickle spear.

"What are these?" Vidia asked, picking up one of the long, fried things.

Ruby laughed a bit. "Those are French fries," she told her. "And here is a cup of your favorite drink, Mr. Pibb."

Later one of the nuns from the convent, a Sister Astrid, visited. She informed Clarion and Vidia that the order was praying for Valerie's speedy recovery.

"Oh thank you, Sister," Claire replied, a sense of relief in her body language.

**~O~**

That afternoon, Vidia felt that she needed a bath. It had been a few days since she remembered last taking one and decided now would be as good a time as any to freshen up. Queen Clarion assisted her out of the bed and walked her back into the inside outhouse that was in the room. The bathroom.

Inside was a small closet behind a clear door. "That's the bathtub?" she asked her queen. "How do you fit in there?"

"No, dear, that's the shower."

"Shower?"

"Yes. You stand while bathing." The queen pointed to a spigot high on the wall and a drain in the floor. Then she turned one of the knobs. Vidia had to take a step back when she saw rain falling from the wall spigot.

"How is it doing that?"

"It's water pressure, Valerie. Water is pumped throughout the city in pipes. It is kept under pressure so when you turn a knob and open the flow it comes through the spigot or faucet."

Vidia wasn't entirely sure what that all meant. She understood some of it, but how an entire city could have pipes with water under pressure running through it escaped her. Not unlike how the MRI machine could take those strange pictures of her brain without cutting her open. Vidia did not have to know how it worked to know that it did. She decided not to ask any further questions on that subject.

"How do I use this?"

Clarion explained how to adjust water temperature with the two knobs at midlevel. Like the sink, one was for hot and the other was for cold.

"Here," she said handing Vidia a small bottle. "This is shampoo, for your hair."

"My hair?"

"For washing your hair."

"Why not just use soap?"

"Shampoo is much better. And see, this one has conditioner. It will keep your hair looking very nice."

_Conditioner?_ Vidia asked herself. _What does that do?_

The queen pointed out to Vidia the bar of soap and a small wash cloth. Then she pointed to the larger towels for drying.

"I'll ask for a clean gown for you," Clarion said. "Oh let me take off your splint. Just be careful, the break is small, but it will still be very painful when you put pressure against it."

Vidia marveled as Clarion pulled two tabs away from the splint. They made a ripping sound when pulled. "What was that?"

"Velcro," Clarion informed her. She had Vidia rub her fingers across the tab. It was rough. Then across the splint in certain spots. It was soft and fuzzy.

"The rough side has tiny hooks that grab onto tiny loops on the soft side," Clarion explained. "That is how Velcro holds two things together."

The fast flyer was absolutely amazed. Whatever opinions Vidia may have held about the humans, such inventions were indeed wondrous. Vidia stepped into the small closet her queen called a shower, closed the clear door and turned on the water. She adjusted the two knobs until the temperature was just right for her.

The queen closed the door to the indoor outhouse to give Vidia some privacy. The flyer let the warm water spray her body. The water slid down her naked form to the floor and then, remarkably, down the drain. Next, she wetted her long hair and used some of the shampoo from the bottle. She rubbed it into the strands of her long, dark hair until the entire length was foamy. Then she put her head under the flowing water and rinsed the soap all out.

Next she took the bar of soap and, as instructed, soaped up the tiny towel before using it to bathe. As she stood there, Vidia almost completely out of her element. She did, however, ruminate how it was easier to clean herself here as a human than in Pixie Hollow. All tubs were made with special grooves to accommodate a fairy's wings. Their wings could not get wet or they would soak up the water and prevent a fairy from flying until they were dry. If a fairy fell into a body of water the fairy would in all likelihood drown. The wings would become waterlogged and drag down the poor creature to its fate.

After her shower, Vidia toweled off. She noticed that her queen had placed a fresh gown on a hook next to the shower. Claire also laid out a pair of clean underwear, which Vidia noted was made from cotton, rather than the leaves she was used to in Pixie Hollow. The undies were quite soft and she could wear them without noticing that they were on. Not that it was a problem in Pixie Hollow, either. Yet, she found these cotton clothes less intrusive and more flexible.

**~O~**

Back in the room Vidia found that Queen Clarion was gone. On the bed was a note saying she and Tina had left to have dinner and would be back soon. The sheets on her hospital bed had been changed and made up. She also heard noise from the other side of the curtains. Someone was being admitted into the same room.

_This must be the "semi-private" part they told me about_, Vidia thought. A nurse brought in a dinner plate. A vegetarian meal. It looked good, but Vidia kept thinking about that amazing egg salad sandwich Ruby had brought earlier.

"Hey, I booked a private room," a voice shrieked from the other side of the curtain. "This is semi private."

The voice had a distinct accent to it. It sounded quite familiar, as well.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but all of our private rooms are full," another voice answered. "When one of them opens up we will move you there immediately."

"Oh please, there are nothin' but a bunch of old geezers in those rooms," the accented voice replied. "Just kick one of 'em out, put 'em in here and give me the room I paid for."

"Ms. Collingsworth, this is a hospital, not a hotel. Patient priority is a necessity."

"Oh please, 'hospital' is part of the word 'hospitality.' Now be hospitable and put me in my private room!"

Finally, the nurse who was in the other side had had enough and barked, "This isn't Burger King! You can't have it your way!" She then stormed out of the room with huff.

"Well, I never. And what about my dinner? I haven't eaten my evening meal!" The woman in the next stall sounded so frustrated and impossibly demanding to Vidia. "Ugh, next time I book my surgery at a five star hospital, not this flea trap for the townies."

Then it hit her. Vidia knew where she had heard that voice. "Rosetta?"

Vidia slipped out of her bed and carefully walked around the hanging curtain. The floor was, as always, cold. The form fitting slippers that the hospital provided Vidia had ignored. The nurses who had been attending to the new patient walked passed. She heard one of them say, "Boy, she can be a real bitch."

"Yeah, I'm never watching her show again."

This brief conversation left Vidia very confused. _Why would anyone compare Rosetta to a female dog?_ she asked herself. Vidia was unaware that the word, which properly meant a female dog, had been turned into a profane and vulgar curse word in the human world.

She looked around the curtain and saw her old friend sitting up in a hospital bed. "Rosetta! How did you get here?"

The young woman with red hair and piercing green eyes turned her attention to Vidia. "Do you run this place? I asked for a private room."

Vidia stepped forward and walked towards her old friend. Her hospital gown on full display. "Oh, you're a patient here, too. My apologies. On several levels. Oh well, it's always nice to meet a fan."

"Fan? What are you doing here? Did the magic bring you, too?"

"Magic? Shug, I'm here for my beauty, not my health," Rosetta answered. "There is no magic when it comes to my lovely visage. I'm naturally quite beautiful. But sometimes nature needs a helpin' hand."

"Beauty? Helping hand?"

"Yeah, a little bit of plastic surgery. So what are you in for, Sugar pie?"

"Rosetta, don't you remember me?"

"Rosetta? Oh…, you're not a fan, then are you?"

"Fan of what?"

"Well, I'm Desiree Collingsworth, I host Storybrooke's most popular mornin' program. You should tune in sometime. Especially when I return to the set. I'm gonna look even more stunnin' than I ever did."

"Morning program?"

"On the television."

"What's… television?"

"_What's television?_ Where have you been livin'? Under a rock?"

"In a sour plumb tree," Vidia replied.

"Sugar pie, are you okay? Do I need to call an orderly on you?"

"Valerie?" Clarion's voice filled the room. "Valerie? Oh there you are." The queen found Vidia on the other side of the curtain. "Sweetheart, don't bother the nice, young lady. Oh, hello, Ms. Collingsworth."

"Hello. Is this one yours?" Rosetta asked Clarion.

"Yes, she is." Clarion turned her gaze towards Vidia. "Go back to your own bed and get some rest."

"Is she okay? She kept askin' if I was someone named Rosetta."

Vidia announced from her side of the curtain. "She _is_ Rosetta, a garden fairy."

**~O~**

Claire buried her head in her hands, feeling every bit embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Collingsworth." Claire walked up to the TV show host and spoke to her in hushed tones. "She had a motorcycle accident. Took a wicked hit to the head. Now…, uh, …now my girl thinks she is someone else. The rest of us, too."

Desiree's demeanor changed instantly. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know," Claire answered. Her eyes began to water. "The doctor isn't sure himself."

Desiree took the distressed mother's hand in her own. "I'm so sorry about what I did to you earlier. I would like to make it up to you. I'll talk about your poor girl on my show. Maybe it will help you drum up some business."

Claire smiled. "Thank you," she mouthed.

"Oh, you're welcome."

Claire turned to walk away. At the curtain, Desiree asked another question. "Did you get the surgery, too?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Desiree nodded at Claire's ample bosom. Claire glanced down, and then it clicked. She offered a slightly nervous laugh. "Oh. Heh. Uh. No, they're original."

"Huh! Must be nice. I had to buy mine," Desiree commented. "But at least I'll be the envy of every housewife in Storybrooke. Present company excluded, of course."

"My husband died eight years ago," Claire told her. "But thank you anyway. He wasn't one to have wondering eyes."

"That's right, I forgot. He must have been a dedicated husband," Desiree answered.

Claire nodded. "Yes. Yes he was." She quietly ducked back into the other side of the room.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading. Thanks to all the new reviewers. I'm grateful for your feedback and suggestions.**


	55. Chapter 55

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairy's / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia watched her queen shuffle back to her side of the curtain and sit in a chair. She seemed disheartened. As if old wounds had been reopened.

"Are you okay?" she asked the queen.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," Clarion answered. "You just rest." After a pause, Clarion stated that she and Tina would be gone tomorrow most of the day, but would return in the evening. "We have to get back to work."

"What work?" Vidia asked. The only job the queen ever had was being a head of state. Leading Pixie Hollow and all the fairies that lived within its borders. She settled disputes, made law, gave new fairy's their names and talents and on rare occasions even enforced the laws.

"Mowing lawns, fixing pipes, general house repairs. What we've always done."

"It sounds like you're a…, a tinker."

Clarion laughed a bit. "Oh we are more than simple tinkers," she replied. "I'm a contractor. You and Tina are my workers. And anyone else I can get to help when I need them."

"But you're a queen. You don't get your hands dirty. Everyone else does the work of you," Vidia told her.

"Oh, honey," Clarion appeared even worse, as if a shell of herself. "I'm no queen. We're a middle class family living in Maine. Hopefully, we can stay middle class. If all these bills don't kill us."

"Bills?"

Clarion sighed. "Yes, dear. Bills. Bills for water, electricity, gas, garbage pickup, internet services, television, home phones, cell phones, insurances, food bills, and now bills for this…" She cut herself off.

"For what?"

"Nothing for you to worry about," was all her queen would say. Her voice was soft and weak. Vidia almost interpreted it as being weary.

"What about your ministers? Can't they help?"

"Ministers? What does the Church have to do with this?"

"Church? No, your ministers. They give you advice so you can make better decisions."

Clarion looked lost for a second or two. "You mean advisors." She sighed. "Sweetie, a head of state has advisors. The CEO of a major corporation has advisors. I'm just a housewife who had to take over her husband's business when he passed away. And I'm not doing a very good job of it, either."

This was a first for Vidia. She had rarely, if ever seen her queen appear so publicly vulnerable. Queen Clarion had always radiated a certain amount of confidence. It maintained strong morale among the fairies of Pixie Hollow, even when the situation seemed most dire. The women sitting beside her at this moment seemed beaten. Defeated. Almost as if waiting for the inevitable end to come and swallow her whole.

"I don't know what we're going to do," Clarion whispered.

**~O~**

Claire Kensington couldn't believe she just uttered those words in front of her own daughter. Valerie may believe she was another person entirely, but it was the wrong thing for a mother to show weakness in front of her own children. They relied on her for strength and support. What Claire needed desperately was someone she could rely on for that same strength and support. Tina had been that for her after Charlie died, but it was a terrible burden for a child to bear. Now, though, she required someone like her husband again.

Ever since Charlie died, Claire had been going it alone. It was nice to have Hartley in her life, but they were just dating. Charlie never abandoned her side when something catastrophic happened. And he could always make a bad situation seem less desperate. It was his gift to find a silver lining in anything or put things into better perspective. Claire, on the other hand, just didn't seem to know how to do that.

Her worries were twofold and both of them were crushing. First, her oldest daughter was sitting in a hospital and could not remember who she was anymore. Worse yet, Claire had yelled to her that she didn't even want the girl in the first place. An awful admission for any parent to make.

Second, those bills she was telling Valerie about. She still owed a considerable sum of money to Mr. Gold. A debt in which she had put up the house as collateral. The monthly payments were high, but she could always find a way to meet them while providing for herself and her two girls. Valerie's hospital stay was going to wipe them out.

A couple of years ago, in an effort to save money and cut a few low priority corners, Claire changed the health insurance she had on herself and the two girls. She altered the policies so that instead of a fifteen hundred dollar deductible, each person had a five thousand dollar deductible. The amount she would owe before the insurance would pay for anything. It lowered her monthly premiums and saved on funds.

Valerie's considerable hospital bills would most certainly consume most or even exceed that five thousand dollar deductible in one fell swoop. She might be able to work out a payment plan, but another considerable monthly bill on top of all the ones she already had would sink her sooner than later. While she allowed Valerie and Tina to live in blissful ignorance, Claire was already picturing the three of them losing their home to Mr. Gold and being forced to live under a bridge like some of those poor day laborers she hires on occasion.

Claire was pulled from her inner thoughts by the calls of her oldest. "Your Highness? Your Majesty! Queen Clarion!"

"Hunh! Oh, yes, sweetheart, what is it?"

"Why would someone call Rosetta a female dog?"

Claire furrowed her brow. "Who is a female dog?"

"Rosetta. The person on the other side. You remember her, don't you?"

"Yes. Her name is Desiree Collingsworth. What does a female dog have to do with her?"

"I overheard one of the nurses call her that," Valerie said. "They said she was a real bitch."

"WHAT!?" Desiree shrieked. "Who called me a bitch? I'll sue this cruddy hospital right into the ground!"

Claire glared at her girl. "Don't you dare use that kind of language, young lady."

"Why? What is so wrong with calling someone a-."

"Yes, I know what that word really means," she said, frustration in her voice. Claire had to reign herself in, remembering that Valerie wasn't Valerie anymore. At least, not right now. She took in a few deep breaths. "I know that when properly used, 'bitch' means a female dog. But many people today have turned it into a crude and profane insult. It's a mean and terrible thing to call someone a bitch. So please don't say it. Even in its proper context. I doubt many people even know what it actually means these days."

Valerie paused. Then she looked back at Claire. "Have you ever used it that way? The wrong way?"

Claire slumped back into her chair. "Yes. Yes, I think I have. But no more. A parent should set a good example for her children. I'm sorry for not being a better mother to you or Tina."

"You've always been a good queen," Valerie said. "You have no reason to apologize."

Claire sighed. That was probably the nicest thing Valerie had said to her in years. Unfortunately, it didn't come from her, but from this other personality that possessed her. It hurt Claire so much to hear these things from Valerie, yet not from her daughter.

"I should go," Claire said. "We have to get up very early tomorrow. Goodnight, sweetheart." She leaned over and gave her Valerie, wherever she was inside, a peck on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Valerie answered. "Before you go, is there something I can write on?"

Claire pulled a notepad from the nightstand and placed it on the rolling table. She laid a pencil next to it and rolled the table over Valerie's bed. She then ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and give the girl a smile before leaving.

**~O~**

Vidia watched as her queen left her hospital room. She looked very weary and distressed. Much more so than she did earlier. The flyer knew she had much work ahead of her. Taking the pencil and pad, she began to write down the names of her friends and who they were in Storybrooke.

Queen Clarion = Claire Kensington

Tinker Bell = Tina Kensington (sister?)

Rosetta = Desiree Coll

She stopped. Vidia stopped writing when something dawned on her. She had been so preoccupied with waking up in this strange land that it never occurred to her before. The words she had been writing were in English, not Fairy as expected. The humans who spoke to her could understand her when she talked to them. They shouldn't be able to do that. Fairies speak a language that sounds like a jingling of bells to a human. Only those versed in it could understand their unique method of verbal communication.

Vidia willed herself to write something in Fairy script. It was spelled out in English. She tried again, it still was spelled out in English. She tried to speak in her native tongue. English is what she heard. No matter how hard she tried, Vidia could never reproduce her own language either verbally or in writing.

"What's happened to me?" she asked herself. She knew her own history. Remembered her own life from arriving in Pixie Hollow to just before whatever brought them here. Yet, for some reason she could not write or speak in her native language.

The magic. The magic that brought them here must have done this to her, she deduced. But why? She could picture fairy books written in Fairy. She could see memories of herself writing words in Fairy. Yet she could not duplicate even a single letter at this very moment.

Vidia tossed the pencil and notepad off the table and then shoved it aside, too. Her frustrations with this land of humans were compounding rapidly. No wings, her body pierced, mutilated and inked in strange ways, no one remembered her or their true selves, everyone she knew turned into a humans. Now she could not even write the fairy language she knew as well as anyone from Pixie Hollow.

"You okay over there, Shug?" Rosetta asked.

Vidia, tears welling up in her eyes, decided to talk her old friend. "Do you remember the time we had to rescue Tinker Bell from the little girl who put her in a cage?"

Nothing.

"Rosetta. Are you listening?"

"Tinker Bell? You mean like in Peter Pan?"

"Yes. Like Peter Pan. Do you remember that summer on the mainland? Tinker Bell got too close to a human house and got trapped. I trapped her… by accident. Then you and I along with Silvermist, Clank, Bobble, Fawn and Iridessa, we had to build a boat out of tree bark because it was raining. We sailed towards the human house to rescue Tinker Bell. Do you remember that?"

Again, nothing.

"Rosetta? Rosetta?"

After a few seconds of silence, Vidia heard another voice. "Yes, this is the nurse's station. Can I help you?" It came from the other side of the curtain. It sounded strange, though. Almost shrill, like it was coming through a pipe. It sounded…, tiny. If a voice could sound tiny.

"Yes, this is Ms. Collingsworth. Is that private room ready yet? I'm sittin' next to a crazy person!"

"I am not crazy! Rosetta you have to remember."

"Oh, of course, you're not, Shug," she said to Vidia. Then in a loud whisper, "Get me out of here!"

She had found another friend, yet she was still alone. Laying back into bed, Vidia wondered if every person from Pixie Hollow would treat her this way if she tried to tell them about their past. _Maybe I shouldn't tell them anymore_, she thought. _But if I don't, then how will I get them to remember?_

**~O~**

Vidia didn't know it, but the one person who could get them all to remember was sitting in his bedroom finishing his homework. His name was Henry Mills, a ten year old boy who knew the truth. The only person in town who did. Other than his own mother, though she had her own plans. Regina was in her home office downstairs watching a children's movie. A film about a cute little fairy in a green dress who desperately wanted to visit the mainland.

* * *

**I hope everyone is enjoy the story so far. Thank you for reading. **


	56. Chapter 56

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Monday morning, the funeral for the recently deceased Sheriff Graham began on schedule. It was a beautiful ceremony attended by the mayor, the city council, many of the towns leading citizens and Deputy Emma Swan. The eulogy went on for some time. Many of the residents of Storybrooke related heartwarming stories about the sheriff that left a tear in every eye.

The local television station carried the funeral over the affiliate station. Most every television in town was tuned into the ceremony. One television, however, wasn't. Vidia still had no idea how to use that funny box that hung from the wall. Her roommate, Rosetta who went by the name Desiree, was watching. Vidia could hear the sounds from the tiny speaker on her remote control box.

"Where is that coming from?" she asked Rosetta.

"It's on television," Ro answered. "I'm surprised you're not watching it yourself."

After a short pause Vidia replied, "What's a television?"

"_What's a television_? You have been living under a rock, haven't you?" A moment later Rosetta came around her curtain to Vidia and pointed to the box on the wall. "That is a television. Here, allow me, Sugar Pie."

The redhead reached over and took Vidia's control box. She pushed the button marked "power." The box on the wall suddenly clicked and an image appeared on its glassy front. Then Rosetta pushed another button marked "channel" and the images changed, rapidly. It finally stopped at a moving picture of the inside of a church. A person was standing at a podium and speaking. After pressing two more buttons marked "volume" Vidia could hear what the person was saying.

"Graham was a caring soul," the woman in the box said. "He always made us feel like we were his only concern. That was his special gift."

"How did that woman get inside the box?" Vidia asked.

Rosetta stared at her, blinking. "Don't you know how a television works?"

"Uh…, no, not really."

"Oh, gumdrop, you really did take a bad fall the other day, didn't you?" Rosetta's facial expression turned soft, from contempt to concern and sympathy. "You can't even remember how to work a television."

"The Griffiths never had one. They had gaslight in their home and a horseless carriage to get to the city."

"Gaslight? No one's used that in ages."

"Well, the queen told me the year is two thousand and eleven. But the last I remember, it was nineteen oh five."

Rosetta's eyes widened. "Well, trust me it is most certainly two thousand and eleven. Now you just sit and relax and watch some television. And when you get home make sure to watch me weekdays on _Storybrooke This Morning_, okay?"

"Uh, yeah, okay." Vidia's tone betrayed just how much she did not understand.

"Ask your mother, she'll help you." Rosetta then ambled back to her side of the curtain. The billowing hospital gown hid Rosetta's surgery. Vidia barely noticed that her chest was bigger. This television thing she had just learned about kept her distracted.

**~O~**

After the church services, the body was moved to the local cemetery where a hole had been dug. The local station had a truck on site to cover the final part of the funeral. The cameraman had a front row spot to record the priest who recited a few passages from The Bible before Graham's body was lowered, reverently into the hole dug by a back hoe.

As the crowd dispersed Mayor Regina Mills called the deputy over to her car.

"What is it, Madam Mayor?"

"Don't act snippy to me, Deputy. I have what you asked for."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Kensington girl. She's lying. It's all been made up."

"And how would you know?"

Regina reached into her vehicle and removed a small plastic bag. Emma reached in and pulled out three DVD movie cases. One of them had been opened and unwrapped. "You want me to watch some kiddie movies?"

"You said Valerie thought she was a fairy named Vidia, right?"

"Yes, that's right. What's your point?"

"My point, Deputy, is that in these films is a character, a fairy named Vidia."

Emma took a harder look at the three cases. One was green, one was red and a third was in blue. Each bore a familiar name. They were titled _Tinker Bell_, _Tinker Bell and The Lost Treasure_ and _Tinker Bell and The Great Fairy Rescue._

"Along with Tinker Bell and Vidia, you will also find another character by the name of Queen Clarion. Sound familiar?" The mayor's voice was dead serious. "Now if you want to take these back to the sheriff's office or your apartment with Mary Margaret and watch them to your heart's content, please by my guest. But I expect for Valerie Kensington to be placed under arrest for reckless endangerment and resisting arrest by the end of the day, is that clear!?"

Emma studied the three movies cases carefully. She looked hurt.

"Yes, that's right, Deputy Swan. You've been had," the mayor said, a broad smile across her face. "So you might want to add lying to a police officer to her list of infractions."

Emma appeared staggered by this revelation.

"Now do your duty," Mayor Mills ordered sternly, "and arrest that Kensington girl."

The mayor slid into her expensive automobile. Emma stuck her head into the open door. "What do you have against her?"

"Nothing, Deputy Swan, except that she is a lawbreaker. And your job is to enforce the law. Good day."

**~O~**

Claire was busy Monday mowing lawns. Tina was in school and her oldest was in the hospital for further observation. She had received a call in the morning that Dr. Archie Hopper had wanted to see Claire this afternoon for a session before he spoke with Valerie.

With her schedule suddenly very tight she had to work as fast as possible. With no other recourse, Claire had to hire a day laborer. More money she could not afford to spend. The one bright spot came when Hartley drove up around midday and offered to buy her lunch. To spare the feelings of her hired help, Claire paid the man for his morning efforts and told him to come back in an hour.

Lunch with Hartley was not as uplifting as she had hoped. Worries kept her from feeling elated in his presence. He seemed to notice and said, "If you need any help, just ask."

"What?"

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," he explained. "If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask."

She smiled at him. What a nice man this was. Just like Charlie in so many ways. "Oh thank you, but I barely know you. I can't impose my problems upon you."

"Impose. I insist."

She smiled again. "I promise. If I need any help, you will be the first I will call."

"Good enough," he replied. "Now then, how about dessert? Something sweet for the sweetest woman in all of Storybrooke."

Claire finally managed to enjoy some of her lunchtime with Hartley. She guessed this made it their third official date. When she returned to the work site, the hired help never showed up. Another disappointment for her on this stressful day.

**~O~**

When Mary Margaret returned home she found her roommate viewing a movie. It was a strange film for an adult woman to watch. It was a children's film with bright colors, cheery looking characters and a familiar looking protagonist.

"Is that Tinker Bell?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Emma turned off the television. "Just some…, uh…, research for a case."

"What happened? Did Peter Pan lose his shadow again?" Mary Margaret joked.

Emma sighed. "Not exactly. You remember that Valerie Kensington is in the hospital?"

"Yes."

"She took a hit to the head and now she thinks her name is Vidia. A fairy that is friends with Tinker Bell."

Mary Margaret had to stifle a laugh. "Tinker Bell? Please tell me you're joking, Emma."

"I'm not sure. At first I thought she was injured. Now it looks like she has been lying."

"What does Dr. Hopper have to say about it?"

"He hasn't visited her yet, but I'm going to have to put Valerie under arrest until this gets sorted out."

"Emma, what if she really does think she's this fairy? Head injuries can be have strange effects on people. Look at what happened to David Nolan. His memories were wiped clean."

"This isn't a case of amnesia, Mary Margaret. She lied. The person she claims to be is right here on this video. It's a fictional character," Emma told her. Her voice clearly showing her feeling of betrayal. She had been lenient to Valerie and she abused that trust.

"Why would she do that?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Valerie and her mother have had a serious falling out. This is probably how she is getting back at her mother, but it has given her the opportunity to avoid being held accountable for her crimes. Well not this time. Valerie Kensington isn't going to escape a second time."

**~O~**

In the late afternoon, Rosetta got her private room and was wheeled out. Vidia was left alone in the room, but at least this time she could enjoy the strange box that Ro called a television. Every so often someone would come up and tell Vidia to buy or try something. They extolled its virtues and then someone would say she had to get it right now. Vidia slid out of her bed and reached for one of the items a man told her she should try. Her hand collided with glass.

"OW!" she yelped shaking the pain from her fingers.

She touched the glass and realized that the box just showed something. She couldn't actually touch any object that was visible. Vidia slipped back into the bed, feeling a bit sheepish.

"Hey, Val!" Tinker Bell had returned. "Mom will be along in a bit. She had to stop and talk with Dr. Hopper."

"Who?"

"Dr. Hopper, the psychologist."

"Do I know him?"

"You should, you've had several sessions with him already."

"What kind of sessions?"

"He asks you questions and you give him answers. That kind of stuff."

"Why does he need to be a doctor to do that?"

"Well, he figures out if a person is crazy or not based on your answers."

"I'm not crazy!"

"Didn't say you were."

Moments later, a tall blonde woman strode into the room. Vidia remember her as Deputy Swan. She looked angry. "Valerie Kensington?"

"Val, that's you," Tinker Bell whispered.

"Uh…, yeah?"

Deputy Swan put a metal brace on Vidia's wrist. "Hey! What's going on?" Swan then clasped the other end of it to the bedrail. Vidia tried to pull free, but it held her wrist tightly.

Swan then added, "Valerie Kensington you are under arrest for reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and giving false testimony to an officer of the law."

"I did what? I didn't do any of that. Whatever that is," Vidia shouted.

"You have the right to remain silent," Deputy Swan continued. "You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney one will be appointed for you."

"What are you talking about?" Vidia shouted. "Tink, what is she talking about?"

"Shh. Val, don't say anything."

"Why?"

"Just don't. Keep quiet."

Vidia kept silent as Deputy Swan finished her little speech.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Vidia asked her.

"Because you lied to me," Swan replied.

"I didn't lie."

"I'm not very good at much in this world, Valerie, but I have one special ability. A superpower," Swan said in a hushed, but very serious tone. "I can tell when someone is lying." Deputy Swan looked directly into Vidia's eyes. "Tell me, is your name Valerie Kensington?"

"NO!"

"Then what is it?"

"Vidia," she answered. "My name is Vidia. I'm a fast flying fairy and I live in a sour plum tree in Pixie Hollow in the year 1905 as you humans measure time."

**~O~**

Deputy Swan turned and walked out of the hospital room. Taking the long walk down the hallway to the elevator Emma felt sick to her stomach. Valerie wasn't lying. She honestly believed that she was this Vidia character from the video she had watched. Emma just hoped that Dr. Hopper could prove it.

* * *

**Uh oh, Vidia is getting into dire straits. Lets just hope Dr. Hopper and Claire can get her out of this. Thanks for reading.**


	57. Chapter 57

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Henry Mills sat at in class Monday watching the funeral Mass for Sheriff Graham. His teacher, Ms. Blanchard had plugged in the television to the school's closed circuit TV system and got access to the local broadcast. He knew how Graham had died. She did it. His adopted mother, the evil queen. The boy couldn't prove it, but he just knew. Sheriff Graham was breaking the curse. If not the curse surrounding all of Storybrooke, then at least the part of the curse that held him in its clutches. The medical reports all said it was a heart attack, but he knew better. Henry wanted to convince Emma, but at the same time he needed to stay away from her. If his mother could kill Graham, then even an outsider like Emma wasn't safe.

**~O~**

"It's done," Emma said into her cell phone. She was speaking with Mayor Mills. "Valerie Kensington is under arrest."

"Excellent work, Deputy Swan. I'm glad you finally saw things my way," Regina told her. "I want formal charges brought against her and a trial date to be set as early as possible."

"I'll press the charges, but I want her to see a psychologist first."

"I'm sorry, Deputy, but at what point did I ask you to bring in a mental health professional?"

"It's my call. I don't think she's lying."

"Oh really? How would you know?" Regina asked her.

"I just know," Emma replied.

"Deputy Swan, watching a few seasons of House, MD does not confer upon you a medical degree. I suggest you follow my directions exactly."

"I'm not doing anything else until Archie Hopper has spoken with her first," Emma stated defiantly.

"Ms. Swan, may I remind you that you work for this town not the other way around."

"Exactly, I work for this town, not you. Which is why I'm calling for a psychological exam to determine her competency to stand trial."

"On whose authority?!"

"Dr. Whale's. I spoke with him before leaving the hospital. He thinks that Valerie's identity crisis stems from a combination of medical _and_ mental trauma," Emma replied. "He's already contacted Dr. Hopper. Archie is going to drop by and perform a preliminary exam this afternoon."

"Well, good luck with that, Deputy. I'm going to enjoy seeing you proven wrong. Valerie Kensington is a criminal. She deserves her day in court and plenty of time behind bars."

"Are you going to be the judge at her trial, too, Madam Mayor?"

"No, but I'll be there to watch the judge hand down his decision at this 'hearing' of yours. Good afternoon, Deputy."

Regina shut down her end of the line. Emma could not understand the mayor's determination to see the young woman in jail. Ms. Swan almost felt a kinship with the poor girl. She saw a bit of herself in Valerie. Even though Val had an adopted mother, she clearly had feelings of abandonment. Ms. Swan had suffered through that when her first foster parents had a child of their own. Emma was given back. Returned to the Foster Care system where she bounced from home to home. Never putting down roots or a making any personal connections.

Claire didn't return Valerie, but it seemed obvious that she had a closer attachment to Tina than to her adopted daughter. With no sense of belonging, Valerie acted out seeking love and attention from the one person she needed it from most. Her mother.

**~O~**

Sitting in her home office, Regina fumed at Swan. That kind of defiance had to be dealt with. On the desk next to her was a copy of the town charter. She had begun to flip through it looking for ways to be rid of Ms. Swan as the town's sole law enforcement officer. In the pages of the charter she found what she was looking for. If the office of sheriff became vacant, the mayor had the power to appoint a candidate for election.

That could be a problem. Elections were not a queen's best friend. She decided to stack the deck in her favor and simply declare someone the next sheriff. Regina counted on the fact that no one in town had the foresight to read the town's founding document and recognize her abuse of power.

_Abuse. _What a dirty, little word. Regina preferred to call it: mayor's prerogative.

Removing Emma Swan as deputy of Storybrooke would be easy enough, but she had made friends. Regina decided it would be fun to make that Swan woman look the fool before the entire town. It would make dispatching her from office that much sweeter. And could possibly even drive her out of Storybrooke for good.

This Valerie Kensington case would be an excellent situation to do just that. The mayor picked up her phone and placed a call. Regina began moving pieces together to railroad the Kensington girl. First, she recruited a judge that would most likely rule in Regina's favor. Second, Claire in all likelihood wouldn't be able to afford a high priced lawyer to defend Valerie. She would need a public defender. Arrangements were made for the most incompetent defense attorney's in Storybrooke be assigned to the Kensington hearing.

Two birds with one stone, she thought to herself. Be rid of that Swan woman forever, leaving Henry heartbroken and all to herself. Plus, she could finally force Clarion out of Storybrooke so the curse would do something particularly awful to her at the city limits. Not a bad day's work.

**~O~**

Claire went home and showered after the last lawn she had to mow today. She would have preferred working in the Town Hall doing the work she was hired to do, but it was closed because of the funeral. With the mayor and the city council in attendance along with most of the town's small government at the function, the building was closed. Tonight, though would be different. Claire could gather her youngest and do some work in the evening.

"Valerie," she said, smacking her forehead. She had to visit her girl in the hospital tonight. She promised.

After the shower, the mother of two drove to the center of town. She parked in front of a building across the street from Granny's Diner. In that building was Archie Hopper's office. He wanted to talk to her first before proceeding.

Claire was nervous. More nervous than her first date with Hartley. More nervous than her first few weeks being a mother to that precious baby girl she had named... Valerie.

Being a mother the first time is always nerve wracking. Losing that child was more stressful. Losing her this way was impossible. Before she knew it, Claire was at the door of Dr. Archie Hopper, Psychologist.

A faint knock on the door was her meek signal that she was at his office. Claire really didn't want to be here and she hoped that the tiny knocks would go unnoticed. The sound of a barking dog evaporated that small hope. Pongo, the good doctor's Dalmatian, had heard her weak tapping and alerted Archie.

The door slowly opened. The kindly form of Dr. Archie Hopper stood in the doorway. He was smiling as always when he greeted her. "Hello, Mrs. Kensington. Please, please come in."

**~O~**

Claire stared at the glass of water Dr. Hopper had offered her. It was filled with ice and beads of condensation dripped down its cold sides. A wrapping of napkins captured the drops near the base where she gripped it.

"I understand this can be hard," Archie told her. "Take your time."

"I'm sorry, what did you ask me again?"

"What was it that you think made Valerie run out of the house that night?"

She stared at the ice water again. "I…, we were… We had an argument. Valerie was being…, very…, very disrespectful of Sheriff Graham. He had died the night before and all she could think about was how much she disliked him."

"Is that all?"

"I couldn't understand why she was acting this way," Claire said. "I raised her better than that. I know she was not fond of the sheriff for arresting her every time she went to The Rabbit Hole, but what she said was uncalled for."

There was a long pause. Something hung in the air and both persons felt it. "What is it you're not telling me?" Archie said prodding.

Mrs. Kensington didn't say anything. She took a sip of her ice water and then stared into the fireplace, watching the flames lick up into the air. Archie glanced over at where she was looking.

"Claire, I'm not here to judge," Archie said in a caring and kindly voice. "You can tell me what happened."

The anxious mother took several deep breaths. Her eyes darted about as she recalled that night. Tears welled up inside them and then began to steak down her cheeks. Almost a perfect reflection of the water that slipped down her glass of ice water. She could admit it to herself, but could she admit it to another person? Even someone as nice as Dr. Hopper?

"Claire? What is it?"

She opened her mouth to speak before hesitating. "I… I can't. She…"

"It's okay," Hopper said. "If you get it off your chest you'll feel better. Lighter, as if a burden has been lifted from your shoulders."

His patient furrowed her brow and stared at the psychologist. "Does it really work that way?"

"Yes. When I was in school learning my profession I had to undergo therapy as part of my training," he told her. "We learned what it was like to be a patient. I can tell you for a fact that what you will feel is relief."

Claire gulped hard. After a moment she spoke. "Valerie has always maintained that I prefer Tina over her."

"Do you?"

"No. No of course not…., I don't think."

"Interesting. Why would you say that?"

"That… that night during our argument she accused me of not wanting her. She's always accused me of not wanting her. But Thursday Valerie made me so mad that I actually said 'yes,' I never wanted her in the first place." Claire broke into bouts of weeping as soon as those words left her lips.

"You were angry. She was hurting you."

"No. I meant it," she said through her crying. "I didn't intend to say it, but I could feel it in my heart. I meant every word of it. How can a mother not want her own child?"

Archie processed this for a moment. "Is this why Valerie ran away?"

Claire nodded, unable to speak. Dr. Hopper moved from his chair to the sofa where Claire was seated. "Do you know why you said this?"

Claire nodded again.

"Have you tried telling her?"

"She'll think that I hate her," Claire said, barely able to get out those words. "I don't hate her. I couldn't, but I know she will think it."

"You don't know that. But if you say nothing she will go on thinking the worst."

Claire's cell phone rang.

"I thought I asked you to turn that off," Archie said.

"I'm sorry. I forgot." Claire took the phone from her purse. She was about to decline the call when she read the name on the screen. She answered. "Tina. Now is not a good time for me." There was a pause as Claire listened. Her expression changed. "Valerie has been placed under arrest," she told Archie. "Now what am I going to do?"

**~O~**

Vidia kept pulling on the lengthy chain that bound her to the bedrail.

"Why aren't you helping me?" Vidia asked Tinker Bell.

"Because it is illegal to tamper with one of those," she answered. "I'll go to jail."

"Is that what will happen to me? Will I go to this jail?"

Tink said nothing. It spoke volumes. "I don't want to go to jail, Tinker Bell."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" she asked. "My name is Tina. I'm your sister. I always beat you to the bathroom door every morning and you call me bad names through the door."

Vidia answered, "Because your name IS Tinker Bell. And I'm not your sister. I'm your friend. Periwinkle, a frost fairy, is your sister."

"A frost fairy?"

"Yes! You were both born from the same laugh."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Tinker Bell looked over at the visitor and turned ashen. Vidia had never seen her so frightened.

"Mayor Mills," Tink said, her voice quaking with fear.

"Could you give your sister and me a moment alone?" this human woman asked. Vidia didn't recognize her, so she wasn't a fairy from home.

"Yes, Mayor Mills." Tink got up to leave. "I'll be right outside the door, Val."

"Don't leave me," Vidia cried. It was too late. Tinker Bell had slipped out into the hallway. Her gaze turned to the woman dressed in a black dress and short coat. Her hair was dark and cut just over her shoulders.

"So, Valerie," the woman said. "I hear you received a nasty blow to the head and now you think you're someone different."

"My name is Vidia," she answered.

"Vidia? I see. And where do you come from, Vidia?"

"Pixie Hollow. In Never Land."

The woman's face turned into a smile. "You do know that Never Land doesn't exist? It's just a fairy tale."

"It's real. I live there. Lived there."

"I see. And where in this Pixie Hollow do you live?"

Vidia looked into the woman's eyes. She saw something scary. Evil. It made Vidia stiffen. "I live in the sour plum tree," she stated bluntly, all the fear in her voice gone.

This woman, this _Mayor Mills_ apparently didn't like her response. The woman's face twisted. "What is your address?"

"Address?"

"The house where you live," Mayor Mills restated disdainfully.

"I told you, I live in a sour plum tree."

"Now how could you live inside of a tree?" Mayor Mills asked. "You're a human. You would be too big."

"I'm a fairy," Vidia replied. "I'm six inches tall. Usually."

Mayor Mills laughed. She pushed her face into Vidia's. "You're lying. Your name is Valerie Kensington. You might have fooled your doctors, and you might have fooled your mother and even Deputy Swan, but you can't fool me. I'm going to prove you're a liar. And when I do, I'm going to run you and your family out of town. Do you understand me? Now tell me who you really are!"

Vidia responded by pushing her face back into Mayor Mills' face. Her brow furrowed, eyes narrowed and with a deep conviction in her voice said, "My name is Vidia. I'm a fast flying fairy. And if you ever threaten me or my friends again I will personally feed you to the crocodile. Do _you_ understand _me_?"

Mayor Mills smiled. "You have spirit. I like spirit. Let's see how long it lasts. Goodbye…., Valerie."

* * *

**Looks like Vidia isn't going to roll over for Regina. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading.**


	58. Chapter 58

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The curse made everyone afraid of her. That was how it was supposed to work. Everyone in Storybrooke was intimidated by Regina. The only person whom the residents feared more was Mr. Gold, the wealthy pawn broker. He practically owned the town, financially speaking. That didn't bother Regina since even he was under the spell of the dark curse she had cast. Valerie Kensington, though a problem daughter for Claire, was also afraid of her.

The girl in that hospital bed wasn't Valerie Kensington. She showed no fear when threatened. Instead, she went toe to toe with Regina and threatened her in return. There were no crocodiles here in Storybrooke, but that fierce determination was just as bothersome. Somehow Valerie had been able to free herself from the curse. Regina wondered if it was the physical trauma that interrupted her magic. Something in the way the human brain, or rather the fairy brain, worked that had changed during the motorcycle accident and got in the way of the curse, not allowing it to suppress her identity and memories.

Regina knew at this moment that any trial or hearing would put forth enough evidence to prove Valerie's statement. That she was now someone else. If the judge sided against the girl it would look suspicious and Emma Swan would personally become involved. Simply stacking the deck at the municipal level was no longer enough. She had to find some way to prevent critical evidence from finding its way into that courtroom.

The real problem was Dr. Hopper. He had stood up to her at the collapsed mine. She could no longer manipulate him through threats. His testimony would be strong. She needed to find the physical evidence that would back up the claims of the town's most respected mental health professional. The mayor spoke with Dr. Whale. She learned that the Kensington girl had two MRI scans done of her brain. One showed different activity from the other. Very different. Enough, perhaps, to give credence to what was obvious. Valerie was no more. Vidia had returned.

Regina had to find those scans and destroy them. Make them look as if the hospital had made a mistake. The problem was that the hospital kept digital copies. Simply having them disappear wasn't going to be easy. Those files would likely be protected. Unless…, unless they were lost due to a computer problem. Now that would be believable. Even Emma Swan wouldn't have reason to start snooping around if it was a simple computer error.

Regina sought out and found the hospital's on site network administrator. She asked him questions about how data files were stored at the hospital. Specifically, files kept on patients, like x-ray images and MRI scans.

"Well, we have a server room," he told her leading her there. "The hospital utilizes a RAID 50 storage system with striping and a redundant, off site backup for all mission critical data."

"What does that mean, exactly? RAID 50 with striping?"

He began by saying that RAID stood for Redundant Array of Independent Discs. RAID 50 meant RAID 5 plus RAID 0. "That just means that multiple RAID 5 arrays are nested in RAID 0 configuration." The administrator showed her numerous on site RAID array cases each of which housed multiple physical hard drives. "Rather than filling up each drive one at a time," he said, "some data, called blocks, are written to each drive in the array in stripes. When the stripe reaches the last drive in the array, the server goes back to the first drive and writes a new set of stripes across all the drives. During each pass, one parity stripe is written for redundancy. That redundancy stripe changes drives with each pass."

"Why bother?" Regina asked him.

"If a hard drive fails, that data would be permanently lost. However, in a RAID 5 array, if a hard drive fails, a new drive is inserted into the case and all the lost data can be rebuilt using the parity stripes. This is called fault tolerance." The system administrator spoke with pride in his voice. "Then each of these arrays is nested into a RAID 0 structure. This allows us to extend the striping across multiple arrays. Each of these hard drive cases gets its own parity or redundancy stripe, but data is written in stripes across all the drives in every case."

The man pointed to a wall with cases stacked in racks to about six feet in height. These computer racks were filled with RAID hard drive cases from top to bottom. If she understood him correctly, data was added to each hard drive in a small piece. Then one drive in each of these cases got a parity or backup stripe. Data was continually written from one case to another. Each case getting one parity stripe so that each case or array could stay functional even if one drive failed.

"The RAID 5+0 arrays are maintained for different purposes," he said. "It is how we set it up. One RAID 50 is for accounting, another for patient files, another for employee data and payroll, another for inventory and so on and so forth. We also contract to a third party company to transfer copies of all mission critical data to an offsite facility. In the event of a system wide failure, such as a computer virus that damages our files, we can recover a full back up as soon as these computers are cleaned and made ready."

Regina realized just how daunting this task would be for her. She had not counted on this. To erase that critical data she would need a specialist. Someone who could infiltrate this system and delete the files without being caught or exposed. That person would also have to track down the offsite backups and delete those files as well.

There was one more bit of useful information she was able to get from the hospital's network admin. Storybrooke General only performed an incremental backup each night, not a full as that would consume time and internet bandwidth. An incremental backup only copied files that had changed since the last time the system had its files copied to the offsite storage location. A full only occurred at the end of each month.

"When do these incremental backups begin?" she asked him during their tour of the network facilities.

"They start at one in the morning," he said. "They usually last until about four or five, depending on how much information is being copied."

"Thank you," she told the system administrator at the end of the tour, "you've been most helpful."

Walking out the door to her car, Regina grabbed her cellphone and placed a call. "Hello, Sydney? I have a job for you. I need you to find someone. A person with a very special skill set."

**~O~**

"Who was that person?" Vidia asked her tinker friend.

"That's the mayor," she answered. "Regina Mills."

"I don't like her one bit," Vidia sneered. "If I wasn't shackled to this bed I would have shot her straight up into the sky and dropped her like a ro...," Vidia sighed. "Right, I'm human. I don't have my wings."

"Don't tangle with her, Sis," Tink said to her immediately. "She'll make your life miserable."

"Humph. She doesn't know me very well," Vidia asserted. "I'll fairy slap that stupid grin off her face the next time she comes near me."

Tink looked rather confused. "_Fairy slap_?"

"Yeah, I heard someone say it on that TV box up there," she said pointing to the mounted television set. "I just inserted 'fairy' for that female dog word that the queen doesn't want us to use."

Tink had to stop and think about it for a second. "Oh, I get it. You want to bitch slap her. Trust me, half the town wants-."

"Hey! I thought we couldn't say that word? That it was a bad word," Vidia protested.

Tinker Bell leaned in and whispered, "What Mom doesn't know won't hurt us."

"O-okay."

"You wouldn't believe half the stuff I get away with when Mom isn't looking," Tink confided in Vidia.

"I'm not sure I want to know. Not now, or ever," Vidia replied. Then she changed the subject. "Can you get these shackles off? If I need to use that inside outhouse again I'll be stuck to this bed."

"I can try and call Deputy Swan. Maybe she'll take them off," the blonde replied.

"Can't you undo them? You're the tinker fairy. Start tinkering."

"Val, I can break and fix a lot of things, but locks is not one of them," she answered. "Besides, if I did. If I even tried, I would end up wearing a matching set. Why not just use a bed pan?"

"Bedpan?"

Tinker Bell showed her a large bowl shaped like a toilet seat. It took her a few seconds, but Vidia quickly put two and two together. "Tinker Bell," she groused, "I am not going to use that thing out here in this bed when there is a perfectly good indoor outhouse in that little closet over there. NOW GET THESE THINGS OFF OF ME!" she demanded, holding up her hand with the cuffs.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

**~O~**

When Tina walked out of the room she was harshly greeted by an intimidatingly large Hispanic man sitting in a chair stationed next to Valerie's door. The man was so tall and so big that even in his chair he was almost as tall as Tina standing up. The visible part of his arms were thick with muscles and his neck showed every blood vessel near the skin with perfect clarity.

To Tina he looked like a Latino Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator. Only bigger. And meaner. And less friendly. This bear of a man was wearing an orderly's garment and had a scowl on his face as if it had been chiseled there permanently.

"What do you want, little girl?" he asked with a snarl. His voice resonated with a deep baritone.

"Uh…, my sister needs to get those handcuffs taken off," Tina said to him, her voice breaking with fear as she spoke.

"Does she need to use the bathroom?" the large man replied.

"Not yet, but she might."

"Then the answer is no," he said curtly. "I only let her out of those cuffs when she's ready to pee, poop or shower. That's it."

"Uh, who asked you to stay here? By the door I mean."

"Deputy Swan," he answered. "I'm also here to make sure she doesn't run away, neither. Now does your sister need to use the bathroom?"

"Nope," was Tina's quick reply.

"Then she stays in her handcuffs," he stated flatly.

"Okay," Tina said with a smile that read _please don't kill me, Mr. Giant Man! Please! Please! I'm too young to die!  
_

Back inside the room, Valerie looked up at her and asked, "Well?"

"It's taken care of," she said.

"Great. So take them off," Val said happily.

"No just yet. But trust me, it's taken care of. " Tina then sat down in a chair that was farthest from the doorway. She wrapped herself in her own arms and began to sway back and forth. "I'm going into my happy place," she muttered. "Torx 15 screwdriver. Nail gun. Replacing spark plugs. Fixing broken table lamps. Working for Marco."

Valerie gave her a funny look and said, "What in Never Land are you doing, Tinker Bell?"

"Just staying in my happy place. Feeling better. Much better."

**~O~**

Claire pulled into the hospital parking garage. Trotting to the entrance she was nearly run over by an expensive, imported automobile. "Watch where you're going," the driver yelled at her.

"I'm sorry Madam Mayor," Claire said to the furious woman in the car. "I'll be more careful next time."

"Next time? Where have I heard that before?" Regina said, railing against the mother of two. Her anger was palpable and every word she spoke dripped with venom and contempt. "You keep saying you'll do better next time and yet here we are. If you were a _better next time_ Mrs. Kensington none of this would have happened. Valerie would have been a better daughter. She wouldn't have run away from you and she certainly would not have had an accident and be in the hospital faking an identity crisis to keep out of jail. I'm putting all of this on you, Claire. This mess is all your fault. Now get out of my way. I've been inconvenienced by your stupidity enough this weekend."

Claire recoiled as she was being berated. The tongue lashing the mayor gave her was harsh and, as far as Claire was concerned, seemed unfair. Valerie was a grown woman. An adult by every standard. Her decisions were her own. Yet Claire was so afraid of this woman that she dare not open her mouth in her own defense. "Yes, mayor. I'm sorry."

She shuffled off into the hospital, looking every bit cowed.

**~O~**

Regina was on her way home when she received a cell phone call. The caller ID read Sydney Glass.

"Hello, Sydney," she answered.

"Good news, Regina," he said through the phone. I have your man. Just say the word and he'll make anything you want on a computer disappear."

Regina smiled a victorious smile. "Well done, Sydney. Tell him tonight at one o'clock the hospital begins an incremental backup. He can start work then."

"Yes, Madam Mayor," Glass replied. "And don't worry. It'll be just as you wanted, like an accident. No one will even know he was there."

* * *

**Oh boy, now what does Regina have planned for our favorite fast flyer? Let's hope Vidia is ready for it. Hang around and see. **

**I tried to remember all that RAID 50 stuff from memory, but had to go to Wikipedia to refresh my ancient knowledge. My apologies if I got anything wrong.**

**And at least now we know what Tina's happy place is. **

**Thanks for reading.**


	59. Chapter 59

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

When Dr. Hopper arrived at Storybrooke General he visited Dr. Whale and viewed the MRI images taken of the Kensington girl. He saw the same thing that Whale did. A distinct change in the brain patterns of Valerie Kensington. From the time she was admitted to the time she awoke. "It's almost as if her brain is functioning differently," Whale said.

"It would seem that way," Archie told him.

"What do you think, Arch? Multiple personality disorder?"

"I'll have to examine Valerie first, but these MRI images certainly have me concerned," the psychologist answered. "Can you forward these to my office so I can study them more closely?"

"Of course," Whale replied. The physician then turned to one of the nurses. "Janice, start the paperwork to have these MRI images of Valerie Kensington sent to Dr. Hopper's office."

"Right away, Doctor."

"Archie, when you're done examining the girl, Janice will have all the documentation ready for you to complete."

Dr. Hopper shook Whale's hand in gratitude and took the nearest elevator to the fourth floor where Valerie was resting in her semi private room. Sherlock Holmes once noted that in any investigation it was never prudent to theorize before all the evidence was accounted for. If you form a theory too early you are more likely to look for evidence that supports it, misinterpret other evidence or dismiss contradictory details because they don't fit your conclusion.

It was also a good principle for psychologists and physicians. Both acted as investigators, but in different arenas than a detective. A bad diagnosis could sometimes be traced back to violating that first rule. Despite this practice, both Dr. Hopper and Dr. Whale were thinking the same thing: dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder. Or at least that was one possible explanation. Archie had to push that out of his mind, he didn't want to go into his evaluation while being influenced by an assumption. He had to adhere to Holmes' first principle.

The door to the elevator opened. Doctor Hopper exited and checked the plaque which give directions to sets of rooms. He followed the arrow to the room where Valerie Kensington was receiving care. Once there, he found a mountainous Hispanic man sitting in a chair on the opposite wall from his destination. When the man stood up he towered over the good doctor and asked what is business was. Hopper replied that he was here to analyze the Kensington girl.

The gigantic orderly motioned the doctor in and said, "You're a braver man than I am, Doc."

It was a strange reply from such an imposing figure. He learned that when Mrs. Kensington arrived earlier, she had instructed her daughter to prepare for Hopper's arrival by cleaning up a bit and using the bathroom if she needed to. When the orderly was asked to remove Valerie's cuffs he did so suspiciously and attempted to intimidate Valerie with veiled threats and a growling tone of voice.

Valerie, however, refused to be cowed. "If the mayor herself can't scare me, you certainly won't," she told the man. The orderly moved his chair across to the other wall because, as he said to Archie, "My Momma was a saint and she didn't raise me to be a fool. If the mayor comes back she's bringing hell with her and I'm not going to get caught in her wake."

The psychologist proceeded into the hospital room. The girl Archie came to see, Valerie Kensington, was seated in a large, blue reclining chair the hospital provided for its patients. She was dressed in hospital issue pajamas, a robe, and slippers on her feet. Her wrist was chained to the bedrails.

One of the first things Dr. Hopper noticed about Valerie was that she was outwardly different. The psychologist had been providing family therapy for Claire and Valerie and had spoken at length with this young lady several times recently. She was usually obstinate, obstructive, insulting and abrasive. But underneath she had always carried an aura of pain and hurt. A girl crying out for a father who was no longer there. Inside had been a sixteen year old yearning to be daddy's little girl one more time.

During his psychological exam today, however, he noticed Valerie was still somewhat arrogant and abrasive, but she also oozed an easy confidence. A trait she had never displayed before. This young woman never struck him as needing a father around. She was a fully developed, totally independent and individuated personality. Strong, secure and even a bit fearless. Any painful vulnerabilities that she had demonstrated previously were now gone.

"Do you remember me?" he asked her.

"Should I?" she replied. The confused look on her face echoed her words.

"Well, we've spoken before in my office." Dr. Hopper noticed she was sizing him up. "I've been providing therapy to you and your mother, Valerie. To help each of you overcome your interpersonal differences."

"What differences?" she asked in return. "Oh, and my name is not Valerie. It's Vidia. I don't know why everyone keeps calling me that."

"Tell me, Val…, I'm sorry, Vidia. Who are you?"

"I am a fast flying fairy," she said with pride. "I collect pollen for the mainland, make breezes for the spring and summer and blow the leaves off of trees in the autumn."

That was the major change Emma Swan had warned him about when she called. Deputy Swan wanted a Psych Eval to determine if Valerie was competent enough to stand trial. Ever since waking up from her accident Valerie seemed to be suffering from an identity problem. She thought she was someone else. And not just someone else, but something else, too.

This Vidia personality, if indeed it was a distinct personality, also began to identify others around her as fairies she had known in her past. Her sister Tina had become Tinker Bell. A fictional character made famous by author J.M. Barrie and the various movies, television shows and books that were derived from his original works.

Her mother, Claire, was now the reigning monarch of the Never Fairies, Queen Clarion. A fairy queen character had been mentioned in the books, but was never fully described.

Before coming to the hospital Archie did a bit of research. Emma had told him that Vidia, Tinker Bell and Queen Clarion were all fictional characters in three children's films. Computer animated, direct to DVD movies that had been released within the last few years.

Unable to watch these films in the limited time before his visit, Dr. Hopper did a quick review on Wikipedia and YouTube, reading up on the film's plots, character biographies and watching some of the previews. This included a handful of shorts called "Pixie Previews" intended as television commercials to promote each film. Each brief television spot had its own, inclusive plot usually with a humorous ending.

"Does everyone have that ability? To blow winds and collect pollen?"

"No, only the fast flyers."

"I see. And where do you live?"

"Pixie Hollow, Never Land," she answered. "I live in a sour plum tree just beyond the pine forest."

"Does everyone live in sour plum trees?"

"No, I'm the only one," she replied.

"Where do the others live?"

"They live with their own guilds," she said. "Like little communities."

"Guilds?" Archie had some idea what she meant from what he had read, but he wanted her to explain the concept to him.

Valerie, now Vidia, explained that each fairy was born with a unique talent. Tinker talent, garden talent, animal talent, light, water, fast flyer, frost, snowflake, entertainment, cooking and so on. Each guild had an overseer, a supervisor who ensured that the other fairies were assigned daily duties and completed their tasks on time and correctly.

"What kind of duties does a fast flyer have," he asked.

She told him, again, how she collected pollen, generated breezes and winds, formed whirlwinds and, above all, her guild could fly faster than any other fairy guild in Pixie Hollow.

"Why do you do this? Collect pollen, I mean?"

"The nature talent fairies bring the seasons to the mainland," the Vidia personality told him. "We bring spring, summer and autumn. The winter fairies bring winter."

"Interesting. As a fairy, how tall are you?"

"According to Dr. Griffiths one hundred and sixty millimeters," Vidia said. "About six and one quarter inches tall."

"Who is Dr. Griffiths?"

Vidia told him the story how Tinker Bell met a young human girl named Lizzy Griffiths and the adventure Vidia and her friends had in trying to rescue their friend. "I thought she had been captured. Held against her will. Her father was a scientist who studied nature. If he found out about us our presence would become known to the whole world."

In the end, Tinker Bell had befriended Lizzy. Lizzy whole heartedly believed in fairies and very much wanted her father to believe in them, too. When Tinker Bell finally revealed herself to him, Dr. Griffiths wanted to take her away to be studied. "I pushed Tink out of the way, but got caught myself." Ultimately, Lizzy and Tinker Bell were able to convince her scientist father to believe as she did. Like a child would believe. "I was nearly a science experiment. If it wasn't for Tinker Bell I would be pinned up in a display case somewhere."

"I see." Archie kept eyeing the shackle which kept Valerie or Vidia tied to the bed. "You look a little uncomfortable, would you like to go for a walk?" he asked her.

"Love to, just to get out of this room for a while."

After a brief conversation with the orderly, the shackles were undone and the doctor and his patient took a walk around the hospital corridor while they talked. The tall Hispanic man followed at a distance. Archie watched the girl closely as they strolled around the building. She peered into each open door and patient room, looking very curious. "Are all the rooms here just like the one I'm in?"

"Um hm."

"Do all the rooms have a magic box that shows you entertainments and people who tell you to buy things?"

"Buy things?"

"Yeah, I was watching something called _Law and Order_ when some man told me to buy a spray to make my shoes smell better."

"Those are called commercials. The magic box is a television set," Archie told her.

"Television set, that was what she called it."

"Yes, every room has one. If there are two beds in the room then there two televisions. One for each patient."

"One for each patient? No one has to share?"

"No, no one has to share. Tell me, are there other fairies living in Storybrooke?" he asked her. The Vidia personality identified not only Tinker Bell, going by the name Tina, but also Queen Clarion going under the name Claire, who thought she was Vidia's mother. That much he already knew.

"Rosetta is here," she said. The Vidia persona described Rosetta as a redheaded garden talent. She went by the name Desiree here in Storybrooke. They passed the nurses station. The Vidia stopped and leaned over the counter. She watched as one of the nurses sat in front of a computer screen. The nurse's fingers expertly playing over the keyboard as she filled in patient information.

"How is she doing that?" the Vidia personality asked him.

"That's a computer," he told her. "Haven't you seen one before?"

"No! How does it work?"

Archie laughed nervously. "Well, I couldn't really tell you. I don't actually know myself."

"You don't? Then how do you use it?"

"We don't have to know how a computer works to be able to use it," he told her. "It's made so that a user can just sit at the desk and operate it independent of knowing how it works."

"Kind of like how the Tinkers make something elaborate and other talents can use it without knowing how they built it."

"Yes. I suppose. So this Desiree, do you mean the talk show host?" The pair resumed their walk.

"Yeah, I guess. She was here getting her breasts enlarged. I don't know why Ro would want to do that," Vidia said. "Rosetta looks fine just the way she is. Why would anyone want to do that to themselves anyway? Make their breasts bigger? It sounds stupid!"

"Some women just aren't secure in their perception of themselves," he answered. "They think they are lacking something and believe it is their outward appearance that needs to be changed. Often the problem is within themselves. Changing who they are rather than how they look would give them the self-confidence they desire."

"I guess that makes sense," she said. "No one in Pixie Hollow ever thinks they need to have something made larger just to feel better about themselves. We get our satisfaction from our talents, not our looks."

"Are there anymore? Any other fairies?"

She mentioned Terence, a dust keeper, who was going by the name of Clarence. Dust keepers, she explained, collected and distributed the pixie dust to all the fairies and sparrow men in Pixie Hollow. When he asked for clarification, Vidia replied that a sparrow man was a male fairy.

"Oh, yes, of course."

"Terence said he delivers mail now. Oh, Lord Milori is here, too," she said.

Archie was now very puzzled. The three films he read about had characters named Rosetta, Tinker Bell, Queen Clarion, Terence and Vidia, as well as a few others. Lord Milori, however was not a character found during his research.

"Who is this Lord Milori?" he asked her.

"He is The Lord of Winter," she said. "He rules the Winter Woods on behalf of Queen Clarion."

"Why doesn't the queen rule the Winter Woods directly? Why does she need a representative?"

"For many centuries warm weather fairies couldn't go into the Winter Woods," she told him. "It was too cold and our wings would freeze and break if exposed to the cold for too long."

"I see."

"Winter fairies couldn't come into the warm seasons, either," she continued. "They cannot tolerate the warm weather very well. If they spend too much time in the warmer climates their wings will wilt and eventually break."

"Can't a broken wing be mended?" he asked.

"There is no cure for a broken wing," she answered. The Vidia personality then went on to describe the events that led to the Winter Woods becoming separated from the rest of Pixie Hollow. "Lord Milori was so in love with Queen Clarion that he came into the warm seasons and spent too much time there. He broke a wing. The queen enacted a law that prevented warm and winter fairies from crossing the border."

"Couldn't they meet at this border?"

"No. That was how Lord Milori came to visit the warm seasons. Queen Clarion and Milori met every day at sunset, always at the border between Spring and Winter. Milori was so taken by her that he had to be a part of her world. They didn't want others to give in to that same temptation."

"So this Queen Clarion gave up the love of her life, Lord Milori, so that no other person, I mean fairy, would be tempted to crossover and lose a wing?"

"Yes."

"Is that rule still in effect?"

"No, that law was lifted a while ago," she said.

"What happened? Why did the queen change her mind?"

"Tinker Bell found her sister," Vidia answered.

"Tinker Bell has a sister?" _ That wasn't in the books that Barrie wrote. _

The Vidia personality told him the story of how Tinker Bell learned she had a sister, born from the same laugh. The machine she built so Periwinkle could visit the warmer seasons and how it nearly led to the destruction of the Pixie Dust Tree. "We need that Pixie Dust," she told him. "It's what allows us to fly."

"I thought your wings gave you flight?"

"They propel us in different directions, but without that dust we're grounded."

"Interesting. So what happened next?"

"Afterwards it was decided that keeping Tinker Bell and Periwinkle apart was too cruel," she said. "The idea of frosting the flora to keep them safe was extended to warm fairy wings. It allowed us to enter the Winter Woods. Later, Tinker Bell constructed a larger and better snow making machine so that winter fairies could visit the warm seasons."

"Tinker Bell sounds like someone who enjoys breaking the rules."

"Her curiosity can be a real handful, if that is what you mean."

The Vidia persona continued to marvel at all the machines that passed them by. She hid behind him when a huge floor buffer machine passed by. The loud noise it made scared her. There was also another big device that was being walked through the corridor by some of the technicians. A large appliance that he explained was a portable x-ray machine. "Physicians use that to view bones and internal organs. The x-rays are a tool for diagnosing internal injuries, broken bones and certain diseases."

"If that is for seeing inside of people, why did I have to go inside of that giant bagel?"

"Bagel?"

"Yeah, I was stuck inside of the hole for a long time as it made this banging sound."

"Oh, you mean the MRI machine. An MRI is much more than just an x-ray. It can make visible what an x-ray machine cannot. In your case, the MRI helped us to understand the nature of your brain injuries after the motorcycle accident."

"What motorcycle accident?" she asked. Before he could answer, however, her attention went elsewhere.

As they approached a window she ran up to it and looked outside. There was a twinkle of wonder and amazement in her eyes. Archie knew it was genuine, certain physiological responses could not be controlled even by the most practiced of liars. The tiny details which he noted were done entirely through autonomic reactions.

"Is that Storybrooke?" she gasped.

"Yes. Yes it is." Dr. Hopper also saw something else. She looked out from the fourth floor window with a familiar look on her face. It dawned on him quickly that it was the same look of pain and hurt Valerie had shown when she talked about her father.

"I wish I had my wings," she muttered. "This would be a great place to fly. Look how open it is out there. A fast flyer could just go wild."

"Do you enjoy flying?" he asked her.

"Absolutely," she replied. "It's what we do better than anyone else."

Her breathing pattern changed. Though not visible, Archie got the sense that her heart rate was going up, as well. That look of pain and loss, though, remained, mixed with joy and excitement. He theorized that what had been a reaction to the loss of her father was now a reaction to not being able to fly. Although why the change of focus was still beyond him.

The view they were looking at was of the city and the tall pine trees beyond. Together they watched as the sun went down, sinking behind the majestic tree line. Soon the blue sky was tinted with brilliant reds, oranges and yellows. The Vidia personality sighed. Archie noted just how much she wanted to be out there. Not a word had to be spoken. It was written all over her face.

"Would you like to step outside for a bit?"

"Yes I would," she said with excitement.

"I think we can arrange that." Archie stepped away from the window and spoke to the orderly who was following them. "She wants to go outdoors for a while."

"It's getting late," the orderly said.

"Just for a little while," Dr. Hopper pleaded nicely. "I'll take full responsibility for her."

The huge man eyed the girl and then the psychologist. "Okay, but if she runs off…"

"She won't. I can promise you that."

"Okay, follow me."

Dr. Hopper called out to Valerie, now Vidia, and asked her to follow him. They walked down the hallway to the elevators. A smile was plastered on Valerie's face. She was genuinely pleased to be going outdoors.

**~O~**

Unknown to either Dr. Hopper or Vidia, at that exact moment the hospital's two Cisco ASA firewalls were under assault. The redundant network security devices were designed to keep hackers out of the hospital's internal computer network. The firewalls had been programmed to alert the network administrator should a threat be detected. No alert went out. The threat wasn't a typical one. It was surgical in nature, quietly probing and looking for an entry point. It hid itself as random internet traffic rather than presenting itself openly as a precision attack.

The common means of bypassing a firewall had been properly addressed by the network security administrator. Getting in would not be easy. However, the algorithms that probed the Cisco devices were not amateur script. The person who had developed them knew at least as much about the Cisco ASA firewalls as the company that designed it. Possibly even more. Breaching the external security wasn't as difficult as should have been. Soon, a malicious code was working its way into the hospital network.

First, this malware shut down the servers that managed the nightly backups to prevent new information from being copied to the off site location. Then it wormed its way through the RAID arrays, erasing data from every domain in Storybrooke General's Schema. Accounting, payroll, employee information, inventory, patient files, schedules for medicines and proper dosages were all deleted from the servers and RAID arrays. This included Valerie's MRI images.

The malicious attack used an outdated, but still effective Department of Defense erasure method that made it extremely difficult to recover data. Rather than just delete data, it erased data with a secure algorithm. The same DoD standard can be found in hard drive erasure tools like DBAN.

When the malware completed its task, it marked every deleted or corrupted file as "changed" and restored the backup servers. When it was time, the erased or damaged files would be copied to the offsite servers, effectively destroying both copies of the computer data. The DoD erasure tool would piggy back its way to the offsite location to do the same thing before the backup that night was completed.

All the evidence that Emma Swan would need to prove that Valerie was not competent to stand trial had just been lost and rendered virtually unrecoverable.

* * *

**Note: That Department of Defense secure erasure algorithm is real and it is available as part of the DBAN program. DBAN is a free tool that is designed to securely and completely erase hard drives. Everything, including personal files and even the operating system is wiped clean. The DoD erasure method can also be found in the program File Shredder which fully erases specified files, but does not harm anything else. Think of File Shredder as the Recycle Bin on steroids.**

**Sorry about all the technical jargon again. Also I apologize for taking so long. Real life needed my attention. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	60. Chapter 60

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The doors to the elevator opened and both patient and doctor stepped into the small space. Dr. Hopper pushed the button to the first floor. When the car moved he noticed that Valerie, or at least the Vidia personality that seemed to be dominant at the moment, appeared to savor the vertical movement they both felt. This made sense as Vidia had told him she wanted to fly, but she was without her wings. The descent of the elevator car must have triggered a sensation she must have known all too well. One that she clearly missed.

At least, that is how it appeared to Archie, providing that the Vidia personality was a true persona and not just an elaborate trick by Valerie Kensington to avoid jail time, as Regina had concluded. When the doors opened, Archie led her down the hallway to the hospital's rear entry. He pushed open the door and the sounds of nature replaced the sounds of the air conditioner and the elevator cars and the clanking of dishes from the commissary.

Vidia instantly looked more comfortable in this setting. In the hospital she looked a bit lost, almost overwhelmed by the technology. Out here, Archie surmised, her reaction was of coming into her natural habitat. She stopped and let the breeze blow across of her face and through her hair. Her head turned as she listened to the tweeting of the birds and the chirping of the crickets. In the distance was the honking of geese and quacking of ducks. Water fowl that lived in the small pond on the hospital grounds.

The pond was a place where hospital patients and staff could go to relax. A great smile played across Valerie's face and Archie thought she might want to cry with joy. She opened her eyes again and looked around. She studied the trees of the woods and the insects flying through the air. A bird flew overhead and she stared at it intently.

"It's so small," she said absent mindedly.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"The bird, it's so small," she repeated. "In Pixie Hollow, doves are huge. We can ride on their backs to conserve our pixie dust when flying to the mainland."

"Of course, because fairies are only six inches tall," he clarified to himself.

"Yes."

"The birds here are the same size, but as a human you're much bigger."

The smile faded from her mouth. "Right." Her eye caught a dragonfly darting through the air close by.

"I used to race dragonflies through the pine forest," she told him. Valerie put her hand out, extending her fingers. It was as if she were beckoning the dragonfly to her. Momentarily, the insect approached her and landed on the outstretched finger. She studied it thoroughly.

"You don't look much different," she said to it. "Just smaller."

The dragonfly lit off from her finger and zipped through the air. Valerie watched it. Then she tore after it. Running, trying to stay by its side. "Valerie!" Archie called to her. "Valerie, come back!"

Each time the dragonfly stopped, Valerie stopped with it. When the dragonfly lurched forward again, she ran alongside it. The smile returned to her face and Archie thought he heard a laugh from the girl. Finally, the dragonfly flew where she could not follow. Valerie stopped at the edge of the woods and watched the winged insect disappear into the trees.

"Valerie, what are you doing?" Archie cried out. He ran to catch up to her, the man was out of breath where she was not.

"Racing the dragonfly," she replied, a huge smirk across her face.

"You were enjoying that, weren't you?" he asked, still gulping air

"Yeah. Not quite as much fun as when I was a fairy, but still entertaining."

"Well don't run off like that again," Archie advised her. "The security guards might think you're trying to escape."

"Oh, I won't run away," she said defiantly. "The mayor threw down a challenge and I intend to fight back."

"What challenge?"

Vidia explained to him what was said when Mayor Mills visited her. "She threatened me, Tinker Bell and my queen. I don't take threats very well. If she wants a fight, she'll get one. What do you humans say? Lick her ass?"

"Kick," Archie corrected. "Kick her…, wait, do you intend to do violence against her?"

"Only if she starts it," Valerie answered.

"Why not let Emma take care of that," he told her. "She seems to be on your side. I'll inform her of this in the morning. She needs to know."

"If the mayor is out to get me, why should I trust the law enforcement? Isn't this Emma just a puppet?"

"No. Actually, Emma Swan and Mayor Mills are at odds about quite a few things," Archie said. "Deputy Swan won't roll over for Regina. She'll fight for you if she thinks you're telling the truth about who you are."

"Does she? Does she actually believe me?"

"That's why I'm here, to find out," he replied.

"Do you believe me?"

"I'm still working on that," he said truthfully. "Why don't we go to the pond?"

Valerie followed him down the path to the water. Foot high posts with lights illuminated the walkway to the pond and encircled the pond itself. The sky was still bright with reddish and orange hues. Moths and other insects quickly began to circle the posts, staying close to the bright, white illumination.

The two sat on a park bench near the water's edge. Swans, geese and ducks glided across the surface of the pond. She listened to their honking and quacking. "They'll be going to bed soon," she told him.

Archie smiled and had to stifle a laugh. "Well then, we should get started." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a clear bag with two pieces of bread. Archie took out one and tore it into small pieces. He handed them to Valerie saying, "Try feeding one of them."

Valerie, or rather Vidia, waited for one of the birds to swim towards them. She then tossed out one of the pieces. It landed in the water and floated on the top. The water fowl paddled up next to it, inspected the bread floating in the water and then seconds later the duck plucked it from the water and swallowed it. Valerie then tossed a second piece. The duck snapped it up, gulping it down instantly.

She was about to toss a third piece when a second duck joined the first. Valerie tossed the next piece of bread into the water. Both ducks tried to grab the piece at the same time. One managed to snag it from the other.

"Be nice," Valerie told the two birds. "There is plenty more for each of you."

Surprisingly, the ducks appeared to respond to her. Valerie tossed another, towards the duck on the left. It took the bread and ate it while the other duck waited patiently. Valerie tossed a piece of bread to the duck on the right. That duck snapped up his piece of bread while the first one watched and waited for his turn again.

Archie wasn't sure if the two birds could actually understand her or they simply didn't attempt to take bread that was too far out of their reach. The events he watched were ambiguous enough to be interpreted either way. He assumed that latter, unwilling to accept that the birds could understand what they were being told.

Vidia emptied her hand of the bread and Archie handed her the second slice, which she promptly tore it into pieces. Before she could toss any more food, a goose then arrived and tried to push aside one of the birds that was feeding. "If you can't play nice, leave them alone," Valerie, or rather Vidia, scolded the goose.

The interloper just honked at her, as if angrily telling her off.

"No! You don't get any. Not with that attitude, mister." She tossed a bread piece at one of the ducks. Just as it tried to snatch it up, the newcomer dove in and grabbed it. The goose honked at Vidia once again. Archie watched this strange exchange. It seemed as if the goose was a bully and demanded more from the girl.

"Bad goose! Bad goose! If you can't be nice go away," she told it angrily. The goose flapped its wings at her and squawked even louder. It came ashore and waddled to her, nipping at the air in front of her. The girl jumped from her seat and made and aggressive move towards the goose. Instantly, the bully goose turned and flapped away, his webbed feet running across the surface of the water as it landed on the other side of the pond.

The two ducks Vidia had been feeding had also fled. "It's okay. You can come back now," she told them. However, they did not make any attempt to return. She sighed. "Stupid ducks." Vidia dumped the bread right at the water's edge and went back to the bench. A few moments later birds from the trees flew down and grabbed the pieces of bread, taking their treasure back to their nests in the trees.

"Their loss," she sneered.

"It's getting late," he told her.

The sky, which had been a beautiful array of crimson and orange streaks, was now turning dark. The daylight faded into the distance. Vidia stood and watched the light fade behind the trees. "Iridessa would love this," she mumbled.

"Why don't we go back inside," Archie said. The two returned to the hospital. They engaged in idle chatter, but Archie's mind was fascinated by how this Vidia personality seemed to think she could talk to animals. The goose, which demanded food, had done it before with others who fed the water fowl. But this was the first time he had seen or heard of anyone actually scold the animal as if it could understand what was being said.

Not one moment of what he had seen thus far seemed artificial or rehearsed. This Vidia personality, if that was indeed what he was dealing with, acted completely sincere when dealing with the birds at the pond. Everything he saw and heard felt completely spontaneous.

They stopped at the commissary. He asked her if she was thirsty. "Yeah, I could use something to drink," she answered. He walked up to soda vending machine and put a few coins into the slot.

"What would you like?"

"Well, they keep bringing me this drink they call Mr. Pibb," she said. "I like the taste."

He smiled. Archie pressed the button for Mr. Pibb and seconds later, with a loud _thunk_, a can dropped out of the dispenser near the bottom.

"How did you do that?" she exclaimed. Vidia quickly fell to her knees and peered into the opening. "Where did that come from?"

"It came from inside," Archie told her. The Vidia personality was truly stunned to see the drink fall out of the vending machine. He explained, in general terms, how a vending machine worked. She listened intently, but seemed somewhat at a loss. As if she understood only some of what he was telling her.

Archie then purchased a bottle of water for himself. It dropped out of the dispenser was well. Vidia was still confused and fascinated by what she saw. He motioned to her to sit at one of the tables.

"So who is Iridessa?" he asked.

Vidia did not immediately respond. Instead she was utterly perplexed by the cold can she held in her hands. "How do you open this?"

"Oh, you pull the tab on top," he instructed. "Pull it forward until the can opens fully, then push it back."

Vidia studied the top of the can. She must have seen the ring and the cutout in the metal. Carefully, she tried to pull the ring tab. Her motions were rather herky jerky. Unpracticed. When persons repeat a specific task over and over again it forms muscle memory. A type of habit which can be later repeated with little or no conscious, or intellectual involvement. A part of the brain called the basil ganglia remembers how to perform those actions and they can be repeated much as when a person walks or writes their name.

It took the Vidia personality a while, but she did manage to insert her finger under the ring and pry it upward. The can hissed and popped. "Whoa!" She jumped back in her chair, taken by surprise. She recovered and Vidia then pulled the ring completely towards her, fully opening the can. "Now what do I do again?"

"Push the ring back down."

She did as instructed. Carefully, she then raised the can to her mouth and sipped it. At first she dribbled some of the soda on her robe. He handed her some napkins to sop up the dribbles. She tried it again, this time properly forming a seal with her lips to draw in the soda. Within a minute or two, she had managed to figure out how to drink from the can properly.

"How did you… how did you do that?" Dr. Hopper asked her, forgetting his previous question. "What you did with the ducks and the goose?"

"Fawn taught me a little of their language," she told him.

"A fawn? A baby dear?"

She turned and give him a quizzical look. "No, Fawn. She is an animal talent fairy."

"Of course," he said, remembering the Latina looking fairy he had read about.

"Animal talents can speak with all animals and insects in their native languages," she explained. "And they can do it without an accent."

"I see, but you were speaking in English," he asked her. "Did they understand?"

"Uh huh. They hear you talking all the time and picked up a few words here and there."

"Kind of like dogs?" he replied. "My Dalmatian, Pongo, has learned a few words, commands that I speak to him."

"Yeah, it's kind of like that," she answered. "But these aren't commands. We just talk to them." The Vidia personality explained that as fairies they were friends with all the creatures of the forest, except for The Hawk. A predatory bird that could make a meal out of an inattentive fairy or sparrow man. Mice, doves, squirrels, chipmunks, fish, frogs, spiders, bees and just about every living thing great and small were treated warmly, as equals by the fairies. "We care for them, teach them to climb trees, fly through the air or swim in the water."

"Don't they know how to do that already?" he asked her. "Shouldn't that be instinctive?"

"Not every animal knows how to walk or crawl or fly right out of the nest," she said. "Baby birds have to learn to fly just as baby squirrels have to be taught to scamper across the ground and climb tree trunks."

Archie nodded. He remembered his younger days when he would spend evenings watching nature programs that focused on baby animals. A foal had to learn to stand on its own, struggling to its feet and slowly learning balance. In another show, tiger cubs were shown engaging in play fighting as a way of learning hunting and stalking. Those skills might have been instinctive, but they still required development. Apparently that was what the Vidia personality was talking about. In her imaginative world, these fairies acted like teachers or coaches and helped to develop innate skills in the animals they tended.

"What else do these other fairies do?" he asked her.

Vidia went on to describe much of what her friends did. Rosetta and the garden fairies grew flowers, trees and other plants. They painted blossoms and leaves the correct colors for each season. Garden talents also gathered up all the seeds and sproutlings to take to the mainland every spring. Animal fairies helped to birth and train animals and insects. They even painted butterfly wings, the backs of ladybugs and put the stripes on bees.

Water talents, like her friend Silvermist, could manipulate water, but they also trained fish to swim, frogs to croak and kept the polliwogs safe until they matured. They also drizzled rain onto the gardens to help them grow. Light fairies, such as Iridessa, could bend light, capture the evening glow from the sun and gave fireflies their "fire." They also aided the garden fairies by focusing much needed light when it wasn't readily available, like on a cloudy day.

This reminded Archie of his previous question and gave him the answer he was seeking.

Fast flyers, of course, created breezes and winds and gathered pollen for the seasons. Garden fairies used some of that pollen to grow new sproutlings. Tinker fairies crafted bird satchels, bags, baskets and other containers to ferry the seeds, insects and pollen to the mainland. They also wove large baskets for the winter fairies so that the Snowy Owls could transport snowflakes when bringing winter to the mainland.

"Snowflakes?"

"Yes. Snowflake fairies make them," she said. "Tinker Bell's sister Periwinkle and her friends Gliss and Spike are frost fairies. Rosetta's boyfriend Sled is a winter animal fairy. Slush is a glacier fairy who can freeze water into ice and form icebergs and glaciers."

"How does Lord Milori fit into all of this?" he asked her.

"He rules over the Winter Woods, making sure all the work is done properly and on time so that winter arrives on the mainland on schedule."

"Have you seen any of these other fairies in Storybrooke? Beyond the ones you've already identified?"

"No, but Storybrooke looks like a good sized town. They might be here. If they are, I just have to find them."

Archie and the Vidia personality talked at greater length about Pixie Hollow and some of the other talents found there, including some very specialized talents like butterfly wranglers, far seeing and far hearing talents, scouts who protected their world and even cooking talents.

"The queen has helpers," she said. "They attend to her every need, like keeping her clothes clean and laying them out each morning, drawing her bath and maintaining her bed chamber."

This sounded like a typical monarchy to Dr. Hopper in which the king or queen had attendants who did all such menial work for them. The irony that her "queen," Claire Kensington was a contractor and construction worker was not lost on him.

Then Archie chose a different subject.

"Do you ever talk with Valerie?" she asked the Vidia personality. "Or are you even aware of her?"

"I don't even know who she is," Vidia replied. "But everyone I know acts like I'm supposed to be this person."

"What was your last memory?" he asked her. "Before waking up in Storybrooke."

She thought for a good while. "I want to say it was seeing Tinker Bell returning to Pixie Hollow."

"Returning?"

"Yeah, she left Pixie Hollow with Peter Pan a few years ago," Vidia answered. "Very suddenly, in fact. It hurt all of us when she did, but Periwinkle suffered the most."

"Periwinkle? Oh, right. Because she is Tinker Bell's sister."

"Uh hmm." Vidia took another sip of her drink. She then recounted in extreme detail how it affected every one of her friends. It nearly tore up the small group that Tinker Bell had belonged to. But it was Periwinkle's story that seemed the most heartbreaking. "She took it very personally. I mean, that was her sister. How could she not at least say something to her before leaving?"

"Why did Tinker Bell leave in the first place?"

"She felt unwanted, I think. Tink is very curious and imaginative, but she had designed and built everything she could. There were no new challenges left for her, no fun. Peter Pan must have seemed like a chance at a new life. Where every day was different and fun."

"So why did she come back?"

"I don't know. I don't…, I don't remember."

"So something erased your memory?"

"I don't know. Seeing her flutter back into Pixie Hollow is the last thing I remember before waking up in your hospital."

He nodded his head. They talked a little more, this time about idle things as he explained a few questions she had about his world. When they finished their beverages, he escorted the girl back to her hospital room.

Afterwards, Archie went to the receptionist desk where Janice worked so he could finish those requests. The station was dark. Everyone there had gone home, but a clipboard was waiting for him. He signed off on each page and left the documents on the desk. When the morning shift returned they would send the MRI images to his email account. Archie left the hospital and went home, taking his dog for his nightly walk before going to bed.

**~O~**

When morning came, Dr. Hopper checked his email. The scans had not yet arrived. He showered, dressed and went to work, walking with his dog Pongo as he did every weekday morning. At his office, he checked the email again and once again nothing had arrived.

He called up the hospital and asked what the delay was.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Hopper," a nice lady said over the phone, her voice clearly distressed, "we've lost those images."

"What do you mean you lost the images? How could you lose them? They are on your computers."

"Our network was hacked last night," the distressed lady said. "It's a nightmare over here. We've lost thousands of files, including the ones you requested."

Archie was worried. Without those images he would have a hard time proving competency, or lack thereof, should Regina push for a trial or a hearing. Although not fully convinced, Dr. Hopper wanted those scans to understand the nature of Valerie's injury, both physically and psychologically.

He also worried about all the patients in the hospital. If Valerie's files were erased then surely many others were lost, as well. He wondered if lifesaving surgeries had to be postponed. Would medicines be delivered on time, or at all? Maybe the wrong medicine would be administered. The entire hospital must have been in convulsions.

Dr. Hopper was incensed. Whoever this hacker was, he or she didn't care that their actions might lead to the deaths of innocents. If caught, he wanted this person to be held accountable for every life lost.

In spite of his anger, he just hoped that Storybrooke General could recover their files soon. That was the most pressing issue.

He hung up and waited for his first session. Not long after the phone rang. "Dr. Hopper, this is Mayor Mills. I hope you and Valerie Kensington had a good talk last night."

"Yes, Regina, we did." Regina Mills always knew what was going on in Storybrooke. She had eyes and ears everywhere.

"Good. I managed to get her pretrial hearing on the docket for next Monday. I do hope you'll be ready."

* * *

**Regina doesn't mess around, does she? Well, another chapter in this ongoing story. Maybe I should have named this Disney's Vidia in Storybrooke, instead.**

**Please leave a review. I love to hear what you think of this story.**

**BTW, for all you _Frozen_ fans out there, ABC has been floating the idea of a _Once Upon A Time_ spinoff based on the Disney film _Frozen_. **

**Nothing is confirmed, but if done right it could have loads of potential.**


	61. Chapter 61

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Archie knew what Regina was doing was at best unethical. Word traveled fast in Storybrooke. Particularly with a mayor who had information about her town fed to her every day. Cowed individuals and willing accomplices were always ready to fill her in on such events as soon as they happened. He had no idea who these persons were, but she must have had something on them since every person he knew feared her wrath.

Mayor Regina Mills wielded considerable political power in this small town. Whether she curried favor through force or by helping others to achieve their own goals, Regina had individuals of importance in her pocket at all times. Perhaps this was why no one dared to run against her in each election. No one wanted to bring down the full fury of the Regina Mills political machine on their heads.

Dr. Hopper was in a unique situation when he stood up to her. He put into play the one person she dared not lose: Henry. He was her one and only weakness. Hopper made it plainly clear to Regina that if Emma Swan chose to engage in a custody battle with her to reclaim her son, the court hearings would likely require testimony from an expert witness.

A psychological evaluation regarding the emotional and mental health of the child in question to be precise. In this case, the psychologist who had been treating the boy would be asked to take the stand. It put her at a major disadvantage and it allowed Archie to pursue Henry's mental and psychological health care as he saw fit.

Others in Storybrooke were not so lucky to have that kind of leverage over Regina. Now Claire Kensington and her daughter Valerie were about to take the full brunt of her fury. Although exactly for what, he didn't know. Valerie had told him that Regina made threats against her and her family. He was able to extract some clarification during their talk last night. Regina was convinced that "Vidia" was just an elaborate ruse to avoid jail time.

Why Mayor Mills chose Valerie and the Kensington family to assault in this way, however, was the answer he did not have. It made no sense for Regina to take such extreme measures against a household that had not offended her. Valerie's crimes, while significant, did not warrant direct involvement from the mayor. The mayor's arch nemesis, Emma was not directly involved, nor was Henry's safety in question. Archie was left waiting in his office, pondering this conundrum when his first patient arrived.

"Come in," he said to the closed door after the knock. When the door to his office opened, though, he was greeted not by his patient, but by the young blonde who worked at the video rental and sales store in town.

"Dr. Hopper, here are those videos you requested," Lydia said as she handed him three DVDs.

"Thank you," he said. He paid her for the films and added a little extra for her time. The three movies he had purchased were the ones that Emma had told him about. The very same ones Mayor Regina Mills had given to her as proof of Valerie's deception. _Tinker Bell_, _Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure_ and _Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue_.

These were the same movies he had briefly read about yesterday afternoon as he prepared to interview Valerie Kensington. Or at least the Vidia personality that she claimed to be. He set them aside when his first appointment arrived.

**~O~**

"What are you doing?" Chester yelled into this Bluetooth headset. "We did this neighborhood yesterday."

"I missed her yesterday," Blake yelled back. Blake was driving the garbage truck. They had been picking up blue bins, recyclables, when Blake turned the corner and shot down the street.

"You're going to get us fired," Chester stated angrily.

"I'll get us back in time," Blake replied. "Don't worry, no one will notice what we did."

The garbage truck pulled up to a familiar Tudor style, two story home. Chester just rolled his eyes and face palmed. A moment later the door opened and out stepped Claire Kensington and her youngest daughter, Tina. Blake honked the horn and waved at the blonde girl. She ran to the garbage truck. Stepping up the girl peered inside. "Didn't you guys pick up yesterday?"

"Yeah, but I didn't get a chance to talk to you yesterday," he said. "Here."

Chester handed her another bag of homemade muffins.

"Thanks, pumpernickel?"

"Yup, just like last time."

"I love these. I don't know what you put in them, but they are delicious."

"Thanks. How is Valerie doing?"

"Not so good," Tina said, her voice and expression falling. "She thinks she is someone else, now. Mom is worried sick."

"Yeah, I can understand why."

Blake had wanted to ask her out on a date, but after hearing what was going on, he decided to wait. Then she asked a question he had not anticipated, but should have.

"So why did you come all this way out here?"

For a moment, Blake went blank. It was as if he had suffered a blue screen of death. Then, a couple of seconds later, he recovered and stated his intent. "Uh…, well…, I was going to try and ask you out on a date, but with all this going on, I'll just…"

"Here," she replied.

Tina grabbed a piece of paper from his dashboard and a pen. She scribbled something and handed it to him. "Bye."

She left the truck and went back to her mother, bag of muffins in hand. When Blake looked at the paper, she had written her cell phone number on it.

Blake put the truck in gear and drove back towards the neighborhood he and Chester were supposed to be working. At the end of the block, he yelled "Alright!"

"OW! A little warning next time, will ya?" Chester said into his Bluetooth earpiece. "You nearly blew out my ear."

"Sorry! She gave me her phone number!"

"Nice going stud. When's the wedding?" Chester asked sarcastically.

"Oh, ha-ha!"

"We are so getting fired," Chet mumbled to himself.

**~O~**

"Didn't they come yesterday?" Claire asked Tina.

"They forgot something," Tina replied.

"What could they forget? And what do you have there?"

"Pumpernickel muffins," the girl replied. "Blake makes them. They're awesome, you should try one."

Claire confiscated the bag from the girl. "That man is too old to be talking to a young thing like you."

"Hey, I'm almost seventeen," Tina protested. "In another year or so I'll be old enough to vote."

"Well until then you are still sixteen and you will obey my rules. Don't talk to him anymore. Now let's go, you're going to be late for school."

Tina fumed as she climbed into the work truck. "C'mon, eighteen," she muttered under her breath.

**~O~**

With Tina loaded in the truck, Claire stared at the bag of muffins wondering what sort of man could be infatuated with young girl like Tina. He must be a pervert or a weirdo to be stalking a sixteen year old.

She tossed the muffins into the trash bin and returned to the truck just as her cell phone rang. Deputy Swan was calling. She was asking Claire if Dr. Whale had told her anything about whether Valerie was set to be discharged from the hospital.

"No, Deputy, he hasn't said anything to me," Claire replied.

Deputy Swan responded that she hadn't heard from him, either. "I've called him twice this morning and all I've gotten is his voice mail. Regina has scheduled a pretrial hearing for Monday and I have to get Valerie arraigned before then." Valerie was to appear in court to have formal charges read to her so she could enter plea in response.

"Maybe you should gather some of Valerie's clothes and meet me there, Claire," Emma instructed. "I'm going to speak directly to Dr. Whale and see about getting Valerie discharged today."

"Okay, Deputy. But I'll need some time. I have to get Tina to school and then get those clothes for Val."

"Call me when you get to the hospital," Emma told her. "Discharge papers usually take time anyway."

"Thank you, Deputy. Goodbye." Claire sighed. This was all she needed, missing a day from her job at the Town Hall. Regina was already singling her out for some unknown reason. If she racked up too many missed days doing the renovation work, Regina might decide to award the job to another contractor and she desperately needed that influx of money more than ever now.

**~O~**

Deputy Emma Swan entered the doors of Storybrooke General and walked right into a maelstrom of nightmarish activity. Nurses and staff were on the phones calling technical support. Others were talking to doctors and nurses on other floors. Who needed what medication and when. What patients were being sent home, which needed to stay? Schedules were fouled up all over.

Emma felt as if she had walked in on a disaster. It was.

"What's going on?" she asked a male staffer at the administration desk.

"Our network was attacked last night," he told the deputy. "Thousands of sensitive files have been erased. We're trying to work around the problem, but it looks bad."

"Where is tech support?"

"They are aware of the problem," the man behind the desk answered. "That's all they are telling us."

Deputy Swan had come to consult with Dr. Whale regarding Valerie Kensington. It had been their intention to discuss discharging her from the hospital. Once released Valerie was to have been transported to the sheriff's station and booked. Then an arraignment was to be scheduled.

After seeing this, Emma knew that Dr. Whale was going to be up to his eyebrows in problems, so instead she asked the person by the desk about the Kensington girl.

"Is she ready to be discharged?"

"Her files are one of the thousands that are missing," he answered.

"How do you know?"

"Dr. Hopper already called about those files," he said. "When we tried to look them up on the computer they were gone. No trace of her files anywhere in the system. As far as the computer system is concerned she was never admitted to this hospital. The same with a number of our current patients. They could walk out of here and we would have no legal way of stopping them."

She asked where the network room was located and followed the detailed instructions to the basement where all the servers, routers, firewalls and punchboards were kept and maintained. During her trek to the server room she wondered why no one had bothered to contact her about this crime. She was the acting sheriff, after all.

Emma Swan strode into the room and found a person she assumed to be the network administrator consulting with Mayor Mills of all people. "What are you doing here, Madame Mayor?"

"Why wouldn't I be here, Deputy Swan," Regina answered. "I'm a concerned mayor, I care about what happens in my town. When something of this magnitude occurs, I get answers."

"So they called you in, but not me?"

"Deputy, this is a cyber-crime, not a purse snatching," Regina sneered. "Someone from outside of Storybrooke has seen fit to destroy sensitive files and put the lives of hundreds of patients on the line. That hardly qualifies as your jurisdiction."

"It's a crime and it happened in Storybrooke; that makes it my jurisdiction," Emma rebuked. "Why don't you let me in there, I can use my data recovery tool."

"Do you really think your little toy can recover thousands of lost files, Deputy?" Regina asked in a condescending tone. "This is a network, not a child's home PC."

"If it's been erased, this little 'toy' can find it," she observed. "Now what's been lost?"

"A little bit of everything," the network administrator told Deputy Swan. "Patient files, medication schedules, accounting, payroll, surgical schedules, employee duty rosters, inventory. You name it, it's been wiped."

The network admin appeared unsure that Emma's data recovery tool would work. So he asked her to try it on a server with data that was less critical than the others. Inventory. Deputy Swan plugged in her USB drive into a USB port and launched her utility. Using the mouse, she directed the tool to recover files from the network drive. The recovery tool appeared to be working. A small icon kept turning over and over. Then a message appeared: ERROR! NO DATA FOUND!

"Well, I guess we know who the real computer expert is around here," Mayor Mills said, more condescension in her voice.

"Let me try it again," Emma said. This time she plugged in her USB drive to a server marked payroll and launched the utility. The same error message appeared: ERROR! NO DATA FOUND!

"I've had enough of this, Deputy Swan," the mayor scoffed. "Why don't you monitor the school cafeteria for bullies stealing lunch money?"

Emma was about to let loose a tirade on the mayor when a different window popped up on the screen. This one sent chills down Emma's spine. "Oh no, not these guys," she said, a tenor of fear in her voice.

On the computer screen was an image of a Guy Fawkes mask accompanied by a single word.

_Anonymous_.

* * *

**Did Regina cover her tracks really well? Or did she commit a serious error? Find out next chapter.**


	62. Chapter 62

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Anonymous?" Regina asked. "Who is Anonymous? I'll have him arrested?"

"There is no 'him' or 'her' to arrest, Madam Mayor," Emma told her. "It's not a person, but a group."

Anonymous is a loose knit group of international hacktivists. The organization, if you can all it that, has no real leadership or hierarchy and their politics are all over the map depending on the individual members. Some choose to engage in large scale pranking, while others prefer to make political or social statements. Their primary targets are large corporations, organizations and government entities.

The closest thing to an agenda that can be attributed to Anonymous is that they oppose cyber-censorship and cyber-surveillance. The individual members, called Anons, see themselves as freedom fighters, using the internet as their field of battle. Governments, corporations and law enforcement agencies view Anonymous as vigilantes at best and cyber terrorists at worst.

The group and its membership use a stylized Guy Fawkes mask as their symbol. A white mask with a grinning countenance, a thin moustache and slender goatee from the lip to the chin. Some members will even wear the mask in public to hide their individual identities while protesting in person.

The mask is derived from Guy Fawkes, the most widely known member of The Gunpowder Plot of 1605. A failed attempt to blow up the House of Lords and King James the First. The purpose was to install a Catholic monarch to the Protestant English throne. The plot was reported to the authorities by unknown individuals. The stash of gunpowder was located and Guy Fawkes was the unlucky soul who was found with the gunpowder, tasked with guarding it.

"So why would a large group of cyber activists want to attack our hospital?" Regina rightly asked.

"I don't think they did," Emma replied. In the instant after seeing the image of screen, Emma began asking that same question of herself. The only answer she could come up with was that Anonymous had no involvement in this attack. Whoever did this used the Anonymous name to cover their true identity and lead any investigation in the wrong direction.

"Anonymous always does things that are large in scale and attracts positive attention to themselves," Emma elucidated. "Launching a cyber-attack against a small town on the coast of Maine isn't high profile enough. And a hospital, where innocent people could die, wouldn't garner them any sympathy. Plus, their main form of cyber-attack is a Denial of Service Attack, flooding web servers with so many fake requests that no one else can access the websites. But if they were to erase data, it wouldn't be a little bit here and there. They would wipe everything. No, this is all wrong."

"What are you saying, Deputy?" Regina asked.

"I think this is a cover up. Someone hacked into this network to erase sensitive information and had to wipe out thousands more files to conceal their true intent."

"Are you telling me this could be a local crime?"

"I'm sure of it."

**~O~**

Claire had just delivered Tina to school and had to turn back around to collect some clothing for Valerie. It felt like she was going in circles. She had been taking her high blood pressure medication everyday as prescribed, but her days were filled with so much stress that her blood pressure was still well above normal. Every night she checked with a wrist monitor she purchased from the Darkstar Pharmacy and every night it was the same. Both systolic and diastolic numbers were too high for comfort.

Her home life was coming apart, her oldest daughter had lost her memories and money woes plagued her every day. Other than the work awarded from the city, good paying jobs were hard to come by. She was deep in debt owing money on her credit cards and to Mr. Gold. And suddenly it seemed that her youngest was beginning to act like a hormone crazed teenager. She was dating Clarence AND taking an interest in an older man who had no business courting a young teenager.

Valerie's extended hospital stay and subsequent upcoming trial was going to bankrupt her. _What else could possibly go wrong?_ In a few minutes, Claire would wish she had not asked that question.

Halfway back home the cell phone rang. Hartley Winter was calling. Claire thought it was a good sign.

"Hello? Oh, good morning, Hartley. How are you today?"

Hartley didn't spare much for pleasantries, a foreboding tell. "Claire, are you at the hospital?"

"No. Why? What's wrong?"

Hartley quickly told her that his business partner Ned had come to visit his girlfriend in the hospital. When he had arrived the hospital was in a tizzy. Files had been erased from their computer system, including many sensitive patient files.

"Is Valerie still in the hospital?"

"Oh dear, she is," Claire sighed, feeling that the other shoe had just dropped.

"You had best get to the hospital with all due haste. I will meet you there."

"I'm on my way now, Hartley. I'm meeting Emma Swan there to discuss Valerie's discharge."

"I doubt it will happen anytime soon," Hartley commented. "From what Ned told me, the hospital is in shambles with the loss of so many files."

Claire thanked him and hung up. She pushed the gas pedal down a little harder and arrived home a few seconds quicker to gather what little remained of Valerie's clothes in the event she could come home. Or be taken to jail. Either way, the girl needed more than just a hospital robe and pajamas.

Most of her clothing had been lost in the motorcycle accident Thanksgiving night. They had been dispersed throughout the woods where she crashed and small animals began to tug and pull at them, tearing and damaging the clothes beyond practical repair. She gathered in a small suitcase two pairs of underwear, two brassieres, one pair of jeans, two black shirts and two pairs of black jeans.

Claire looked at what remained of Val's wardrobe. Most of it was black. She began to wonder if Valerie was preparing to become a Goth. It worried her even more. Worse yet, she could not get any answers. Vidia wouldn't know what Valerie was planning.

**~O~**

Emma and the mayor were talking off to the side. "What do you intend to do?" Regina asked her acting sheriff.

"We have to find some way of recovering those lost files," Emma replied. "That's our first priority. I'll worry about finding the culprit once the hospital has been restored."

"Well your little tool didn't seem to work, who do you suggest?"

"We need to find the best computer nerd in town and ask him or her to work on this," Emma stated.

"Do you intend to bring in an outsider to work on these system?"

"Can your network administrator recover what's been lost?"

"I think he can. Thank you for your input, deputy. I'll take it from here."

Regina walked back to the wall of servers. Emma felt slighted and used. The mayor seemed to be that kind of person. She took what she wanted from others and then glorified herself with that information and the success that followed. No wonder Henry thought she was the Evil Queen.

Her cell phone rang. Claire had arrived at the hospital. She was anxious and scared. "I'll be right up," Emma told her. She swiftly exited the server room and returned to the hospital entrance where she found not just Claire, but Hartley Winter, as well. He was holding the frightened woman in his arms. Her hand and head laying on his chest. _Are these two joined at the hip?_ Emma wondered.

Deputy Swan greeted the two and filled them in on what was happening. She told them that whoever had done this was using Anonymous as a cover for their true intention. "The pretrial hearing is scheduled for this coming Monday and Valerie has to be arraigned before then. This couldn't have come at a worse time."

"Can she come home?" Claire asked.

"I don't know. Her files have been wiped out. There are no records of her even being here."

"Fine, then I'm going to take my daughter back home where she belongs," Claire stated forcefully.

"You can't," Emma said, blocking her path. "Valerie is still under arrest. If she leaves this hospital it's for a jail cell in the Sheriff's Station. I'm sorry."

"But what will happen to her? Will she get food, are they going to give her medicine she doesn't need? I'm not leaving my baby girl here when no one even knows what in God's name is going on."

Emma sighed. She could sympathize with Claire's distressed mood. "I might have a way around it all. Go to Valerie's room and tell her to get dressed. I'll be right back."

Before she could leave, however, Hartley caught her by the arm and told her, "I might know someone who could recover those files for you."

"I need assurances, not suggestions," Emma replied. She knew that Mayor Mills was overseeing the recovery and wouldn't let just anyone into that room.

"Do you have any other options?" Hartley asked her. Emma didn't immediately respond. She just pulled away from his grasp and left the hospital.

**~O~**

On the fourth floor Claire directed Valerie, or rather Vidia as she preferred to be called now, to shower and get dressed. She explained what was happening and why the staff was acting so strangely today. However, Vidia had no idea what she was being told. Her response reminded Claire that Vidia was from the year 1905 and computers had not yet been invented, much less networks or hackers.

Nonetheless, Vidia did as told. She brushed her teeth with the funny tasting paste she had been given. Then showered and dressed in the clothing Claire had brought.

"By the way, when are they going to serve breakfast?" Vidia asked. "I'm getting hungry."

Another problem Claire was concerned about. Who would feed all these poor souls trapped in the hospital?

**~O~**

Upon her return, Emma Swan managed to track down Dr. Whale. While he was even more overwhelmed than she had imagined, Whale was at least open to the idea of letting Valerie go home. There was little else the hospital could do in its current state and the staff needed to focus on the more critical patients. "I'll call the nurse's station and have them fill out discharge papers."

Whale directed the nurses there to print out an empty discharge form and fill it in by hand. The nurses used the bar coded bands on Valerie's wrists to complete the forms as best they could. Claire offered any other information needed, such as home address, phone number and the like.

Emma Swan came into the room and offered up an alternative to taking Valerie to jail. She knew that this Vidia personality wasn't going to understand everything going on around her. Putting her in jail and separating her from her family or friends would be cruel. So instead she found a different option.

"Okay, kid, this is a tracking monitor," she said holding up a small, black box with a large loop attached. "It goes on your ankle and I will know where you are at all times. I don't want to put you in jail, but you are still in custody for the crimes Valerie committed. The monitor is completely waterproof so you can bathe in it. It is also loose enough to wear socks or stockings. But don't try and pry it off. Do that and I'll get an instant text to my phone and I'll hunt you down. Got it?"

"What does this mean, Deputy?" Claire asked as Emma placed the device on Vidia's ankle.

"I'm putting her under house arrest," Emma explained. "Now she doesn't have to be confined to her home, but she cannot leave the town of Storybrooke." Emma Swan turned her gaze to Valerie, now Vidia. "I'm counting on you to not be a flight risk.'

"Oh don't worry. I'm not leaving," Vidia responded, almost as if licking her chops. "Not after the threat your mayor made to me and my queen."

"What threat?" Emma asked. Vidia explained to her that when Mayor Mills paid her a visit a few days she looked her right in the eye and declared Vidia to be lying. "She told me that she was going to prove my deception and run all of us, me, Tinker Bell and Queen Clarion, of out of town."

That's when it clicked for Emma. This event had Regina's fingerprints all over it. The threat, setting the pretrial hearing date so quickly and the loss of so much computer data from the hospital, especially Valerie's MRI scans, the very evidence needed to prove Valerie was not competent to stand trial. The coincidences were hard to swallow. Too hard in fact.

"Why would Mayor Mills want to run you and your family out of town?" Emma asked Claire.

"I don't know," she replied. "I barely know her."

There had to be a reason. Regina wasn't the type of person to do something like this without cause. Emma turned to Hartley Winter and told him to bring in his friend. Instantly, he opened his cell phone and placed a call. "Penny? It's Hartley. I have a job for you at the hospital. Their data has been erased by a hacker. Can you recover it?" There was a brief pause. "Excellent."

Hartley hung up the phone and announced to the room, "She'll be right over."

* * *

**Things are starting too look up for Vidia and Claire. And now Emma seems to be on to who did all of this. Can she prove it? Or will this prove to be as elusive as everything else?**

**Stick around to find out. Thanks for reading and please leave a review. **


	63. Chapter 63

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The hospital had never experienced anything as catastrophic as this before. Nor had anyone ever anticipated such a precise breach in their network security. It was a Black Swan event and as such there was no emergency plan in place to deal with it. Many were at a loss as to what to do. Although network access was still available, each employee was told not to save new data to the servers for fear that it might be lost or would interfere with efforts to recover the missing data.

Pre-existing procedures were sometimes followed so long as they were still effective without the aid of their computer network. When they weren't, chaos ensued. As a result, new procedures were cooked up on the fly. In many cases they had to be abandoned or adjusted minute by minute to work out problems as the staff went along.

Something as simple as discharge papers took hours to complete. With incomplete access to the computer network, staffers and nurses scurried about making sure their daily rounds and routines were completed properly. Mundane paperwork quickly became major inconveniences that were put aside unfinished and could be forgotten about. Claire or Hartley found themselves reminding the nurses to finish the discharge papers.

It took so long that Claire had to buy food at the first floor commissary just so she, Hartley and Valerie could eat that day. Eventually, everything was taken care of and Valerie was allowed to go home, but they were asked to stop at the admissions desk before leaving. When they got there, Claire and Hartley received another shock.

"I'm sorry to do this, but I need to fill out paperwork on Valerie in case we can't restore our computers," the frazzled lady told Claire. Essentially, they had to go through the entire admissions process all over again. It was an exercise in tedium as page after page of federally mandated paperwork was filled out in painstaking slowness. Claire could feel her blood pressure going through the roof.

When she looked up at the wall clock, Mrs. Kensington realized that it was long past time for school to let out. She imagined poor Tina sitting out front of her high school waiting impatiently for someone to collect her. The harried mother placed a call to her youngest daughter to explain the situation. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Okay, dear?"

"I'm already at the hospital," Tina answered.

"You're what?"

"Yeah, Mr. Winter asked his friend to pick me up," she said. "Where are you?"

"Admissions."

"Oh, there you are."

Claire looked up and could see her youngest wave to her from across the hall. She waved back and hung up the phone. Then she turned to face the man who had been so nice to her and kissed him.

"What was that for?" Hartley asked.

"For watching over us. All of us."

It was a simple gesture that no one noticed, but for Claire it carried with it the weight of immense gratitude for all that he had done for them. Having this nice man around was like having her very own guardian angel. A handsome, strong and caring guardian angel.

Moments later Tina joined them. Ned had brought her up to speed on the drive over. "I can't wait until you come home, Sis," she told Valerie. "It'll be just like old times."

"Yeah, I don't think so, Tink," the older girl replied.

"Tina," the little blonde said. "Remember?"

Meanwhile, Emma began to pester Hartley. "When is this computer genius going to get here?"

"Soon," he answered. "She just needs to clean up a bit."

**~O~**

Hold up in a darkened room with closed windows and pulled shades, a slim figure sat before a bank of computer monitors. Her hair was platinum blonde and her skin was somewhat pale from being indoors most days. Covering one wall was _Star Wars_ wallpaper originally produced after the first movie arrived in theaters in 1977. She had recently secured it from Mr. Gold for a hefty price.

The rest of her walls were adorned with posters of films and television shows generally associated with nerds and geeks including _Star Trek_, _Harry Potter_, _The Lord of the Rings_, _Tron, Doctor Who, Firefly_ and many others. Nearby on the desk was a TI-84 Plus Silver Edition scientific calculator which the girl could operate almost as if by instinct.

In another room was a library filled with science fiction and fantasy novels and accompanying reference books. Alongside them were tomes on programming and web design (in multiple languages like C, C#, Java, Ruby on Rails and more). There were also books and magazines on circuitry, electrical engineering, advanced mathematics, physics and quantum mechanics.

Other spaces were cluttered with old computer systems like an Altair 8800 and a Commodore PET; random circuit boards; mother boards of differing vintages; and video cards from PCI to the current PCI Express standard. An alcove was overstuffed with broken or malfunctioning laptops and LCD monitors in various states of disrepair.

The only common space that wasn't so badly cluttered was the entertainment room where she had every major home gaming console from an Atari 2600, a ColecoVision, and Nintendo NES up to the current XBOX 360 and Sony Playstation 3. Penny, was a true nerd, even down to her favorite _The Big Bang Theory_ t-shirt.

When she received the phone call from Hartley about data loss at the hospital Penny had been busy checking the code of her own version of the Linux computer operating system. She loathed Microsoft operating systems and productivity software, and wanted to code a Linux GUI with the ease of the Mac OS and the broad compatibility of Windows.

Most of her computers ran some flavor Linux or UNIX. She only kept a couple of systems running Windows to offer tech support to the people of Storybrooke. Penny earned a large share of income as a call in technician. Using her computers she could log into almost any PC through the internet and fix most problems.

One of the most unusual things she noticed about being a tech was that she was often able to fix a computer by simply stating, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" and having the user follow those instructions. If that didn't work then the next common solution was "Are you sure it's plugged in?"

What was unusual was that it mirrored almost precisely the words spoken by a computer technician on the British television comedy series, _The I.T. Crowd_. That character, Roy, loathed having to say that stupid line over and over again. In one episode he made a bet with his manager, Jen, that he could go an entire day without saying those insipid words. He lost when he had to help a bomb disposal expert with a laptop that froze. The scene was made all the more hilarious when his friend and workmate Maurice Moss asked what operating system the laptop was running. When he found out it was Windows Vista, Moss yelled, "We're going to die!"

The money she made from her work as a tech and a sometimes employee for Hartley Winter more than paid for her rent on the small, single story house where she lived and supported her huge computer budget. Penny rarely had any friends over because of her high intelligence. She was shunned by the community that did not understand her fascination with the intricacies of the Klingon language or the tiny details of each Linux release. It didn't help that Penny had graduated high school early and was now enrolled in internet classes offered by M.I.T., one of the leading engineering universities in all the world.

After hanging up with Hartley, Penny gathered her laptops and placed them snuggly into a large school backpack. She then grabbed a handful of USB drives and a small case filled CD's and DVD's that had on them a number of tools and utilities, including some of her own design just for such an occasion.

Before she was about to leave, she received another call from Hartley. "Penny, did you remember to shower this morning?"

It might sound like a strange question for an older man to ask of a younger lady, but there was good reason. Penny would often become so engaged with her computer work, video games and TV shows that she often forgot little things like bathing or even eating for days at a time. One quick sniff reminded her that time did not stand still. She had not bathed since the last time she was called out to do location work, more than a week prior.

After a thorough shower in which she lathered and rinsed twice, Penny quickly scarfed down some microwave macaroni and cheese and then loaded up her Vespa scooter. She made it to the hospital in good time. At the admissions desk were Hartley Winter and the young deputy that had been seen around town driving an old, beat up, yellow VW Beetle.

"Where's the patient?" Penny asked with a sly grin on her face. The nurses and staffers that were within earshot didn't appear all that amused by her bad pun. Her reaction indicated that she didn't care. Penny was happy amusing herself.

"This is your help?" Deputy Swan asked Hartley, looking both worried and incredulous.

"Trust me," the older gentleman assured, "Stephen Hawking himself would be impressed."

"The hospital computer isn't Stephen Hawking," Emma reminded him. "It's a dumb box of electronics."

"HEY! That _dumb box of electronics_ has feelings, too," the girl chided. "If you don't want my help then just say so and I'll go back home."

The blonde deputy sighed. "Okay, come on." Emma led the way back to the server room. When the two turned the corner towards the elevator Penny spied a woman in her late forties or early fifties with honey brown hair and a worried look on her face. She recognized the woman from a newspaper article a few weeks ago regarding a lost iPad.

Her name, if Penny remembered correctly, was Kensington. The woman had also been featured in the news recently because her oldest daughter drove her motorcycle off the road. The girl, a dark haired beauty in her mid-twenties stood next her. The young woman, whose hand and forearm was in a cast, looked lost or confused as she talked to a nurse. Neither of them paid attention to her.

The younger girl who was with them, however, did notice Penny. The computer whiz stared in wide eyed wonder as she walked by girl. Unbelievably, it was as if Penny were staring at her own double. The petite blonde had a look on her face that conveyed the same emotion. Penny stopped cold in her tracks and stared back. The two girls, Penny and the other girl, circled each other as they each sized up one another.

Stunningly, their faces had a similar structure, they were the same height, and both had rather short hair. The other girl kept her hair in cute pigtails while Penny's was parted in the middle which then cascaded down to her shoulders. Their noses were slightly different and Penny's skin was rather pale. Lastly, Penny noticed that her look alike had more muscle development and tone. Something the computer whiz lacked due to spending so much time sitting in front of her computers.

"Who are you?" the other girl asked.

"I work on computers," Penny answered. "Who are you?"

"No. I meant, what is your name? And where did you come from?"

"Oh, I'm Penelope," she answered. "But everyone calls me Penny. Hartley asked me to help with the computer systems here."

"My name is Christina," the look alike said. "You can call me Tina."

"Nice to meet you, Tina," Penny said.

"You look familiar," Tina said to her. "Didn't I see you in high school?"

"Probably. I graduated last year."

"Graduate? Wait? How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Tina looked shocked. "Sixteen? But I'm sixteen and I'm still in high school. How did you-?"

"I have a genius IQ," Penny told her.

"Wow! That must be so cool. I wish I had that kind of intelligence. Maybe I could get into M.I.T."

"You want to go to M.I.T.?"

"Yeah, for mechanical engineering," she said excitedly.

"I'm taking online courses from there in electrical engineering," Penny replied just as excitedly. "Do you need any help?"

"Yeah, I'm having some problems with math."

"Oh," Penny sounded deflated. "You do kind of need that to succeed in mechanical engineering."

"Yeah, I know, but I really want that degree. I can figure out how to fix almost anything just by looking at it. The car, the refrigerator, a dishwasher. I also like building things. Last year, I made a few lawn ornaments out of metal. One of them looked like Tinker Bell with wings that spun in the breeze. My first grade teacher Ms. Blanchard bought it during the Miner's Day celebration. She has it in her front lawn now. She said I was very talented, but teachers always say that."

This caught Penny's attention. This girl must be a great talent indeed. One that didn't need a formal education to flourish. Penny had the same attribute with computers and electronics. It came so naturally to her. Tina's mechanical and engineering abilities must be just as natural.

"Have you been tested? Your IQ, I mean?"

"Yeah, it was above average, but not by much."

"Let me guess, the school tested you just for general intelligence?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Our public schools suck, they are always behind the curve. Have you ever heard of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences?"

"No."

"Look it up on Google. It's fascinating. He theorizes that what most of us call talent is actually a specialized kind of intelligence. I bet you score high both in spatial and logical realms. Maybe even fine motor skills. Do you see everything as if it were-?"

"-all right in front of me? Every pipe, every wire, as if it were a schematic? YES! I can look at something and picture it in my head."

"You took apart your dad's tools, didn't you?"

"Much to his chagrin."

"And then put them back together again?"

"Better than before to his surprise." Tina wore an easy smile, as if recalling fond memories.

Penny put her hands on Tina's shoulders and held her tightly. "You are not average. You are not above average. _ You_ are talented. Very talented."

"Penny, dear," Hartley called to her. She turned to look at him. "Emma is waiting."

"Oh, right. Sorry." She turned her attention back to her new friend. "Why don't you come by my house? I have a test that will find out just how talented you really are. And I can help with your math homework."

"You would do that?"

"Sure. We engineers have to stick together."

Tina laughed. "Yeah, I guess we do."

Penny scribbled down her phone number and address on a piece of paper and handed it to the little blonde. She bid her goodbyes and turned to follow Deputy Emma Swan to the server room. But her thoughts were still with the girl she had just left at the admissions counter. When she touched her, it was as if she could feel something between them. Like a faint snap of static electricity. It didn't really matter. Finally, someone her own age whom she could call a friend. Someone she thought who could understand her.

Penny was never so excited.

* * *

**Hmm... I wonder why Penny felt that faint snap of static electricity? I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. Please leave a review, I would like to know your thoughts about this chapter. **


	64. Chapter 64

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina didn't know what to think. When Penny touched her shoulders it felt like there was a spark between them. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was a strange experience. She chalked it up to static electricity. Yet the coincidence was remarkable. Someone who looked like her, had a similar interest and could help her with her math homework AND that spark. It felt…spooky.

In spite of all that, Tina also felt energized at the prospect of a new friend. She had made many friends at school, but none could truly relate to her. She could talk all day about the internal mechanics of a washing machine or the virtues of a Chevrolet 350 small block V-8. Those things fascinated her, but when she talked about those things to her friends their eyes would just glaze over.

Marco appreciated her enthusiasm for the intricate work he did in his workshop. He would let her help out some times in exchange for tutorials or materials for her own projects. Billy at the auto repair shop liked to talk cars with her and explained how to make repairs. However, neither were people her own age.

Clarence was a peer who could almost relate. Unfortunately, close wasn't enough. Not even her own mother came so close. This Penny girl seemed like the one person Tina had met in her life who might truly understand her. For Tina it felt like someone had just opened a door that had been locked her whole life. A door she was desperate all these years to unlock. It was a heady feeling.

**~O~**

Emma Swan strode down the hallway and into the elevator with this girl, child actually, right on her heels. She had no confidence that this tiny slip of a teenager could overcome a room filled with servers. Computers so complicated that people spent years in college just to comprehend how they functioned.

What surprised Emma was how confident this child was. Almost arrogant, in fact. For a moment, Deputy Swan considered turning right around and telling this little girl to go back home and let the adults handle this difficult situation. Mr. Winter's advocacy of Penny was all that kept her from doing that. Nonetheless, Emma did not come unarmed.

She knew that if she had her own misgivings, the mayor would laugh Penny right out of hospital. Then Regina would go all out to strip Emma of her title as deputy. Bringing this underage girl would be all the ammo the mayor would need to declare Emma incapable of holding the office as the town's sole law enforcement officer. She was putting everything on the line for this Penny person. Emma hoped she could pull this off.

To that end Deputy Swan procured some information from the hospital staff during the long wait for Valerie to get discharged. In her hands were several printouts that she intended to use to get Penny all the time she needed at the servers to work her computer magic should the mayor resist. Ms. Swan was certain she would. A likelihood she confided in Penny.

"Mayor Mills doesn't like me and she'll probably try and have you thrown out," Emma told her. "So just let me do all the talking, okay, kid?"

"You got it," Penny answered almost flippantly.

"Hey, this isn't a day at the Homebrew Computer Club," Emma admonished, somehow recalling the name from a movie about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates called _Pirates of Silicon Valley_ that she had seen years earlier on television.

"I don't like the mayor, she bullies everyone around," Penny said as they exited the elevator and walked towards the server room. "Someone has to stand up to her. I've been wanting to, but we've never crossed paths. When I see here I'm going to-."

"You'll do nothing but what you're good at, working on those computers," Emma said sternly. "Leave the negotiations to me."

"You're the boss."

**~O~**

"Oka-ay," Emma announced when she walked into server room again. "I found our nerd."

Regina was annoyed by her return. "Deputy Swan, we don't need any more distr-." She stopped cold when she turned and saw who the deputy brought with her. Standing next to Emma was a tiny slip of a girl with platinum blonde hair. She was short, thin and pale. Almost sickly looking. The girl wore light blue jeggings, ice blue colored Chuck Taylor All Star Converse sneakers with white tops over the toes, a brown flight jacket right out of the original _Battlestar Galactica_ TV series and a t-shirt with an image of Sheldon Cooper from _The Big Bang Theory _with the word "Bazinga!" emblazoned across it. Slung on her shoulders was a backpack so big and weighted that it threatened to tip the girl over.

"That's your solution, Ms. Swan?" Regina commented with disdain.

"This is Penny, a computer nerd with the skills to recover the lost data," Emma replied. "Now if you will kindly let her through."

"No!" Regina stated outright. "I'm not. And do you know why? Because I refuse to allow you to make a joke out of a real tragedy, Ms. Swan. People are in dire need in this hospital. This security breach could kill any number of people who rely on this hospital and you bring me this reject from a _Star Trek_ convention. Furthermore, this demonstrates your inability to act appropriately in serving this fair city. I think it's time you vacated your post as Deputy and let someone else take the job. Someone who knows what they are doing. Good day."

She knew this would happen, so Emma brought out her own ammunition. "Madame Mayor. May I have word with you in private?"

"I'm busy, Ms. Swan," she replied without looking.

"Too busy to take an interest in your own son?"

That got Regina's attention. "Keep working," she whispered to the network admin who was sitting at the desk. "Don't let anyone touch these computers. Understood?"

He nodded and kept searching Google for answers to the current problem. Regina stepped to the side to speak with the soon to be ex-deputy. "What is it, _Miss_ Swan?" she asked, putting an emphasis on _Miss_, implying that the title of deputy was no longer Emma's to use.

"Look at this," Emma said handing the mayor some of the printouts. "I find it interesting that so many files including Valerie's were deleted, but yours were somehow kept intact."

"That's what you brought me here for? To point out that a random attack was actually random? And how does this relate to Henry?"

"Because while your files were untouched, his weren't," Emma said. "Everything from four years ago and older is missing. Gone."

Regina yanked the other pages from Emma's hand and reviewed them. "How did you get these anyway?"

"I'm the deputy conducting an investigation. Remember? Now do you want to let your network administrator to keep trying? Or will you let Penny succeed where he can't?"

Regina fumed. Her plan was falling apart. The medical history of her own son was partly missing. If Henry had an accident or became very sick his own life could be forfeit. Sydney's "man" had bungled this assignment. And that meant Sydney had failed, as well. Inside she was a ball of caged fury, ready to lash out to whomever was nearest, but Regina had to keep a lid on that roiling caldron of anger.

The pages in Regina's hand crumpled and twisted as she balled up her fists. Her very hands shook as she tried to crush the very molecules into nonexistence. "Fine, but she better get results or I am holding you personally responsible for this fiasco," she hissed to her not yet ex-deputy.

Regina stepped slowly and deliberately to the little girl with the giant backpack. She smiled a big, but utterly fake smile and said with a condescending tone, "Well, I hear you are computer technician."

"Please, what I've forgotten about computers can fill the Library of Congress ten times over" Penny replied off handedly.

"Who do you think you are, little girl? Bill Gates?" Regina questioned snidely.

"No, I'm better." Penny pivoted around on her heels and faced the bank of servers and the man working on them. "Now move aside, admin dude, Super Nerd coming through."

Regina took an instant dislike to this little girl. She was a child playing in an adult world. Worst of all, Penny was so cocksure of herself. "You certainly are confident in your abilities for someone so young."

"You don't get to be as good as I am by being scared," Penny answered without looking back at the Mayor.

Regina's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed with unabashed fury. "Well, if you can impress the network administrator, the server room is all yours." The mayor smiled at her cleverness. This whelp couldn't possibly be a match for the hospital's accomplished and long standing employee.

The man whirled in his chair to face the petite platinum blonde. "How old are you?" he asked her.

"Sixteen," she said arrogantly.

"Sixteen?!" Regina yelled at Emma. "You brought a high school student to fix our network?"

"I'm forty five," the administrator told her calmly, "with more than twenty years of experience in the field of computer networking."

"What are your qualification?" she asked him.

"He just told you," Regina yelled.

"I have a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Mathematics and I hold a current MCSA," the admin boasted.

"Really? Microsoft Certified Solutions Administrator? That's what you're going with?" Penny answered, clearly unimpressed. "I'm certified A plus, Server plus, Network plus, Security plus, Linux plus and CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner. I'm a Microsoft Certified Professional, I hold all eight Microsoft Certified Solutions _Engineer_ certifications AND I'm Cisco certified as a Design Expert and an Internetworking Expert in Routing &amp; Switching, Data Center and Security, all of which are current. Did I mention that I'm also a Certified Novell Engineer, and a SUSE Certified Linux Engineer? I can code in every known programming language, including machine language, and I'm writing my own version of Linux. Maybe you've heard of it? Linux Frost Forest?"

Her smug and superior tone obviously rankled the older man. "I don't use Linux," he said with a bit of a sneer. "I live in a Microsoft world, like most of us do."

Penny's eyes narrowed. "And for your information, I graduated high school _last year_. Since then I've been auditing internet classes from M.I.T. for a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering with a double major in Computer Science. Oh, and I like to take long walks on the beach, I'm a member of Mensa and I have an I.Q. of 179. How about you?"

"Well…, that sounds all well and good, but anyone can rattle that off and sound intelligent."

Penny didn't like his attitude. She grabbed her cell phone and began fiddling with it.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked. "Calling your mommy?"

A few seconds later the Network Admin's phone chirped. He grabbed it and flipped it open. On the text screen it showed someone from the outside altering the portable phone's firmware, ultimately giving him unlimited lifetime minutes …for free. Then these words appeared: _I just hacked your cell phone in under one minute. Now move over! -Penny._

Impressed, the admin got up and yielded his position to the little girl.

**~O~**

Sitting down in front of the two large LCD screens, Penny removed the CD case and slipped in one her discs to analyze the empty portions of the hard drives in the connected RAID Array.

"We have already tried using hard drive recovery tools and the utilities from the manufacturer, Western Digital," the admin told her.

"You found nothing on the hard drives and the utilities couldn't recover the lost data," Penny concluded.

"Exactly, how did you know?"

"I wouldn't be here if you could."

Penny launched the hard drive analysis tool, one that the hospital's system administrator admitted to never having seen before. "Where did you get that?"

"From some of my friends," she replied. "We code stuff like this all the time." Several moments later she announced that the lost data wasn't just deleted, but erased.

"We know that already," Regina scolded. "Is that the best you can do, little one?"

"I don't understand," Emma said, "what's the difference?"

Windows operating systems store information on hard drives in blocks that are scattered all over the hard drives. To keep track of their locations, Windows maintains a table that records entries for each block. When data is deleted by a user, the log entry is deleted, but not the blocks of data. They remain until overwritten by new blocks. This is why recovery tools are so effective. They can find those orphaned blocks and reassemble them. Here, more than just log entries were deleted. The blocks throughout the drives were erased.

"That's why my little tool didn't work," Emma stated. "There was nothing to find."

"Exactly," Penny said. "But according to this analysis, more than just erasure occurred."

"How can you do more than just erase data?" Regina asked her.

Data and identity theft are serious problems in the digital world. Disposing of hard drives properly can be difficult because they still have information on them that can be extracted using commercially available software. Preventing data recovery has become very important. To avoid that possibility, sanitizing drives has become the go to method for eliminating sensitive data. Software and hardware techniques are employed to blank discs before they are disposed of.

"The Department of Defense wrote a standard for sanitizing hard drives many years ago," Penny informed everyone. "The process overwrites what was there with multiple layers of pseudorandom numbers and then zeroes out the drive. It makes what was on the platters unrecoverable without bringing those drives into a clean room where expensive and specialized equipment are employed to dig through those layers. Whoever did this employed an encrypted algorithm to make recovery virtually impossible."

"Well, I guess your little friend can't do the job you promised," Regina told Deputy Swan. "How surprising."

"I said virtually impossible," Penny clarified. "Not totally impossible."

"But you just said-."

"That standard is very old and many of us in the IT community have been working on ways to undo the sanitizing," Penny expounded. "That's why the DoD no longer uses software to erase their drives. Instead they degauss them."

"Degauss?" Regina asked.

"A powerful magnet that blanks the drives, but also erases the control chips on the drives making them totally unusable."

"Do you think you can undo this security breach?" Emma asked Penny point blank.

"Sure, though I'll have to write my own program to do it. Give me a few days."

"Days?"

"The algorithm uses a 256-bit encryption and will take time to crack before I can tackle the actual overwriting," she answered.

"Doesn't an encryption of that length usually take years? Even decades to crack?" the admin asked.

"Normally, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve," she replied. "Encryptions use digital keys to unlock them. I've studied the encryption employed for this method and I can narrow the field by ignoring the least likely digital keys. I'll also be using resources from outside the hospital to multiply my efforts exponentially. Whoever did this won't know what hit 'em."

"Well get to it, you've less than a week to get that information back," Deputy Swan told her.

"No problem!" Penny removed her laptops from the bag and began to set them up on the desk in front of her.

"What are these for?" the administrator asked.

She pointed to each one and described its purpose. "This first one is for coding new programs. This one is for video conferencing with my I.T. friends on the net, they'll be helping me when I need it. This third contains all of my latest stable programs and utilities. And that last one contains video files for all of my favorite TV shows."

"Do you need anything?" Emma asked.

"Yup, a steady stream of pepperoni Hot Pockets and Big Red soda," she said.

"It would be my pleasure," the administrator offered. He introduced himself as Allen.

"Well, at least if nothing can be found we know that love will blossom," Regina said with a sarcastic tone. "I'll be in my office. Call me if anything changes." She stormed out of the server room, furious for reasons known only to her.

_Love?_ Emma asked herself with confused look on her face. From her point of view, it was simply professional admiration.

**~O~**

Regina stalked down the hallway towards the elevator. Anyone who happened to walk by kept their distance. She wore a facial expression that scared everyone who saw it. The mayor opened her cell phone and dialed Sydney. When he answered she ripped into him for the errors made by his "man."

"I guess he wasn't the person for this job after all," she growled into the phone. "And apparently, neither were you."

* * *

**Those certifications that Penny rattled off really do exist and are offered by CompTIA, Microsoft, Novell and Cisco. IT Professionals and companies use them to gauge the level of knowledge, skill and expertise a person possesses. **

**Another chapter will be up soon. Thanks for reading. **


	65. Chapter 65

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Do you enjoy being useless, Sydney?" Regina scolded him over the phone.

"I'm not stupid," he replied. "Henry's and your medical information are safe."

She stopped dead in her tracks. The anger already boiling inside her nearly erupted. She had to rush into the elevator and close the door. "ARE YOU INSANE?" she yelled. "If anyone finds our information has been copied I'll be implicated."

"Not just yours, the entire hospital database."

"Explain yourself," she demanded. Their "man" knew he didn't want to put too much direct control over what was and wasn't erased. It might lead back to his employer. So the first thing done was to copy the entire contents of the offsite backup and put all that information in a safe place. The hospital. "He put bits and pieces of it on every computer and laptop in use there. It's hidden and can't be found except by him."

"Well he can't exactly put it back and say 'sorry,' now can he?"

That wasn't the end of his plan. The man Sydney used figured that one little girl would eventually be called in to undo his work. Penny Steveston. A sixteen year old genius that had been the bane of his existence for years. He was nursing a huge vendetta against her.

"Well, lucky for you she is on the case," Regina informed him.

"Yeah, he knows," Sydney told her. "He's been monitoring the hospital servers."

"So why does he hate that little pipsqueak? Not that I mind, I can't stand her myself."

Penny was a White Hat hacker, while the person behind the breach was a Black Hat.

Hackers are divided into three basic camps. Black Hat, Grey Hat and White Hat. Each pursues hacking for fun, profit or both. Black Hats do it to malicious ends like identity theft, stealing credit card numbers or just to watch the world burn by their hand.

White Hats do it for the benefit of the IT Community, researching security vulnerabilities in software and then quietly reporting them to the programmers and vendors so those weakness can be patched before they become widely known. White Hats are often paid for their efforts.

Grey Hats tend to embody elements of both Black and White Hat hackers. They will advise both the hacker community and the programmers, essentially pitting each side against the other, while the Grey Hats sit back and enjoy the show.

"In a few days I'll be reporting that an anonymous source overheard Penny Steveston saying she was planning something big," Sydney told the mayor. "That she was tired of being one of the good guys and wanted to earn her Black Hat street cred with a major security breach. All of that information that used to be on the hospital's servers will surreptitiously be found on her machines."

"She'll be arrested for the crime," Regina said, a smile coming across her face. "And her involvement in the recovery will be to ensure no data was ever actually recovered, throwing law enforcement off her trail. I guess you still are useful, Sydney. At least for one more day."

"Thank you, Regina." She could almost hear that big smile beaming on his face.

**~O~**

"Finally," Claire gasped as the last of the paperwork was finished. "We can go home now."

_Home?_ Vidia thought. _What is home in Storybrooke? Where do I live?_ These questions echoed through her mind for the first time since waking up in this human world. Back in Pixie Hollow, Vidia lived in the hollow of the sour plum tree that overlooked the pine forest where her guild resided. She had been living in self-imposed isolation after the attempted coup of the monarchy by Swift, Festus and their minions. No one lived near where she did and Vidia, despite finally becoming friends with Tinker Bell, enjoyed the isolation. It was always quiet and peaceful there.

"Where do I live?" she asked the queen.

The older woman stopped and looked at her for a second. Then she softened, as if reminding herself of something. "You live with us, sweetheart."

"I do?"

"Yes," the queen replied with a gentle laugh. "Your room is next to Tina's."

Vidia wasn't sure if that was going to be a problem. Suddenly she was about to be shoehorned into a situation where she would be living in close quarters with others. In Pixie Hollow, most everyone had their own individual housing. Only couples and best friends like Clank and Bobble ever shared a space. A fairy house was a large, one room living area. The bed, living space, eating area and workshop, if any, shared that one, large area.

Vidia then remembered what Lizzy's home was like. Several rooms under one roof. Dr. Griffiths lived in the main bedroom down the hall from where Lizzy's personal bedroom was. Downstairs were the common spaces and Dr. Griffiths' study. Would "home" be like that, too? Could she live effectively in a place shared by others?

She was led out and into the city of Storybrooke for the first time. She had seen it from above while inside the hospital, a view from a fourth floor window she still remembered vividly. The elevation reminded her of being aloft, flying on her fairy wings. Now she was going to experience Storybrooke firsthand at ground level. Would she see anyone else from Pixie Hollow? Could she navigate the roads and around the horseless carriages? Would she even know how to interact with these humans? How would they treat her?

The fast flyer turned human felt nervous again. Her usual cocksure attitude giving way to trepidation and anxiety. She, Tinker Bell, Queen Clarion and Lord Milori walked towards a boxy looking horseless carriage that, while it was different and possibly newer than Dr. Griffiths' automobile, it somehow looked old and worn down by use and time.

The tires were thick and had a large metal rim in the center, rather than a slim tire with spokes. The carriage had doors that could seal a rider inside. The back of the horseless carriage looked like a mouse cart for carrying things over long distances.

In fact, there were tools and implements in the back, but she could not readily identify some of them. The outside of this carrying space had high walls and several compartments, judging by what appeared to be small doors on the sides. The front and back of the horseless carriage was adorned with three letters: G, M and C. She had no idea the significance of those specific letters.

Vidia noted that many other such horseless carriages were sitting on either side and up and down several rows. They varied in shape, size and even color. That was the most peculiar thing about these carriages: colors. Why bother?

Her queen opened the door to the inside where a long bench like seat greeted her. Tinker Bell crawled in first.

"Okay, sweetheart, you're next," Clarion told her. "Need some help?"

Vidia remembered her injured hand, still in a grey splint that a nurse demonstrated could be removed and replaced easily. Apparently it used something they called "Velcro" to hold it together. Her wrist still throbbed a bit. This odd looking, boxy shaped carriage with no horse was set awfully high. It was difficult for Vidia to climb in using just one hand. She had to take up the queen on her offer.

She finally slid into the seat of the behemoth carriage. Tina explained that it was called a pickup truck. "It was designed to be used as a work vehicle, not a passenger truck," she added.

_They made those, too?_ The flyer asked herself. _Passenger trucks? Do they look like this?_ _Or were they different?_

"How do you get air in here?" Vidia asked, feeling strangely closed in.

"You can roll the windows down," she said showing Vidia the short hand crank that raised or lowered the glass on the door. "Also, we have air conditioning."

"Air what?"

"Air conditioning. It makes the air cold, like in the hospital," Tinker Bell explained. "It's great for hot days. The truck also has a heater to keep the cab warm during winter. And boy do we need it here in Maine. It gets cold."

The queen slid in from the other door and slammed it shut. She cranked down the window and Lord Milori stood by the vehicle to talk with her. "Thank you so much for everything, Hartley," Clarion said to him. "I can't begin to show you my gratitude."

"I should be thanking you," he replied, "for buying lunch today. Why don't I treat you and your girls to dinner at Granny's?"

"Oh no, I couldn't impose," Clarion answered, her face turning flush. Vidia knew why, Queen Clarion and Lord Milori were set to marry in Pixie Hollow. Yet for some reason, here they were acting as if they were just beginning to court.

"I insist," he said. "I'll meet you there."

Clarion looked positively giddy. Tinker Bell, for some reason, didn't appear very happy. Vidia couldn't understand why.

**~O~**

During the course of her investigation, Penny discovered that the culprit responsible had gone out of his or her way to cover their own tracks. The Cisco firewalls used to secure the hospital's internal network from the internet at large maintain a constant log of incoming and outgoing traffic. Those logs had been erased from the night of the breach, ensuring no one could track the internet address and locate the villain of this well executed attack.

What bothered Penny the most about this breach was why only some data was erased? "Why not all of it?" she asked herself. "Why not all of it for a single day? Or a month or everything?" Just random amounts of information from every RAID Array across different domains. Neither Emma nor Hartley had told her the entire story, but the little girl came to the same conclusion that Deputy Swan did. Someone had targeted specific information and had to delete more to make it look like a traditional security breach. Allen the network administrator assisting her confirmed her suspicions.

"Now that changes things a bit." It also meant that someone knew which file had to be erased. Although not an airtight conclusion, since Hartley had called her it might have something to do with his new girlfriend, Claire Kensington. She remembered that the older daughter was wearing a splint on one hand and concluded she was the one being targeted. _But for just a simple injured hand? Why?_

Then she remembered the motorcycle accident that had been featured on local news reports a few days earlier. Was it a hit? Did Storybrooke have a crime syndicate living within its town limits? Was there a ruthless crime boss leading a group of well dressed, but bloodthirsty men who went on rampages shaking down store owners and…. "Get a grip on yourself, Penny," she whispered to herself. "This is Storybrooke, not New York. Nothing exciting ever happens in this sleepy town."

The last truly memorable events she could remember were the clock tower starting to keep time again in late October, David Nolan woke up and reunited with his wife, and a mine collapsed nearly killing Henry Mills and Doctor Hopper. Then most recently Sheriff Graham had passed away. It suddenly dawned on her that things were happening in Storybrooke.

Penny thought intensely about what had changed recently. The only thing she could think of was the new Deputy, Emma Swan, a recent arrival. Penny could not remember that woman being in Storybrooke before October, when The Daily Mirror ran a cover story about her. She had crashed into the town's historic sign. No one ever visited this town, there was no tourism and certainly nobody simply drove through to get to somewhere else.

Things were beginning to change, she concluded. And they were interesting changes. Penny hoped that the future would finally be different from the past. No more rampant sameness.

"Would you excuse me a moment," Allen said, breaking the girl from her revery. "I'll get those Hot Pockets and Big Red for you."

"Thanks."

**~O~**

Outside the server room, Allen pulled out his cell phone and made a call. The person on the other end was a man with a distinct way of speaking. It was proper and showed great care in the words he chose.

"Hello, Mr. Gold? There has been a breach of the computer network at the hospital," he said.

"Is my equipment safe?" Gold asked of him.

"Yes, but data has been painstakingly erased."

"Was it due to negligence on your part?" his voice seemed calm, yet very angry underneath.

"No, sir. All common sense measures to secure the network were taken and then some. Whoever did this was a real pro."

"I see," Gold replied, those two words sending a wave of relief crashing over Allen. "And what makes you think that?" Allen's nervousness returned. He explained to Mr. Gold everything he had heard Emma and then later Penny tell him. From the fake Anonymous splash screen, the erased firewall logs, to the likelihood of it being a local crime.

"Both thinks that someone was trying to remove specific data from the servers."

"And whoever it was needed to cover their tracks by erasing more than just that bit of information," Gold finished.

"Yes, sir."

"Are my medical records intact?"

"Yes, they are."

"Excellent. Now tell me about this Penny who is working on my computer equipment."

* * *

**Uh oh, why is Mr. Gold so interested? And will the mysterious hacker actually succeed in setting up Penny for this crime? Keep reading.**

**Thanks to everyone who has been keeping up with this story. Tinker Bell in Storybrooke has reached ten thousand views! You are amazing!  
**


	66. Chapter 66

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke****A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Allen Carter, the hospital's network administrator, provided Mr. Gold with everything he knew about Penny Steveston as well as her qualifications. Ms. Steveston was using cutting edge and sometimes homemade software written and designed by the IT community to dig through the encryption and overwriting used to bury the information.

"This does not fill me with confidence, Mr. Carter," Gold replied. "Why should I trust this girl to do your job? A position I helped you acquire to protect my investment. You are more capable, aren't you?"

"Ms. Steveston possesses a genius level IQ. She even hacked my phone from hers in under a minute and reprogrammed the firmware to give me free minutes for life," Carter said.

"Not much of a favor since you will eventually replace your phone with a newer model sooner than later," Mr. Gold answered. "However, that does allay some of my fears. Might you be aware of the intruder's identity?"

"No, sir. But you might want to check with Deputy Swan, she seems to know more than she is letting on."

"Thank you, Mr. Carter," Gold replied, "please continue your efforts to secure my equipment."

**~O~**

Gold contacted Deputy Swan and questioned her point blank to find out whose information was so sensitive it had to be erased. Emma was not as forthcoming as Allen so he tried a different tactic. "Who recommended Penny Steveston?"

"How did you know she…? Never mind, you have your hands in everything in this town don't you?"

"You are quite correct, Ms. Swan. Now if you please?"

"Hartley Winter recommended her," Emma told him.

This of course led to the next question, why did Mr. Winter know about the cyber-attack.

"I'm conducting this investigation, Gold," Deputy Swan replied bitterly. "I don't need any more interference?"

"More?"

"First the mayor and now you." This was somewhat interesting to the pawn broker. The mayor would have good reason to look into a breach in the network security of the town's only hospital. Yet Regina was not the compassionate type. If she was there it was likely to ensure that hers and Henry's medical information was safe.

"What's it to you?" Emma asked him.

"I'm conducting my own investigation," he informed her, "I would like to know how Mr. Winter knew of the cyber-attack so quickly and why he recommended outside help. The man must have had very personal reasons to become so deeply involved."

Mr. Gold was the wealthiest man in town for a good reason. He wasn't just a pawn broker, his hands were in everything: property owner, landlord, money lender and financial backer. Gold was the majority owner of Storybrooke's largest insurer. Storybrooke General was its most prominent customer. If the hospital could not recover the erased data in a timely manner or at all, a class action lawsuit by all those affected would almost certainly follow. Gold would stand to lose a substantial amount of his fortune in insurance payouts.

"So you're only in this for the money?" she asked him.

"Does it matter why? We both want the same outcome: full recovery of the data and for the criminal to be put behind bars."

"I don't have any leads," Deputy Swan said, "but I have a few suspicions."

"And what would those be?"

"Just that, suspicions," Emma answered, avoiding his question.

Unfazed, the pawn broker went closer to the source calling up Hartley Winter himself. "Mr. Winter, Deputy Swan informed me that you recommended your friend Ms. Steveston to deal with the cyber break-in at the hospital. Do you honestly believe an outsider is more equipped to deal with this crime than the hospital's own personnel?"

"She is most qualified," Hartley said in his British accent. "I trust her with my business regularly. She has never failed even with the most difficult technical question."

"And what business do you have with the hospital?" Gold asked him. "Other than the obvious one that we all face?"

Hartley disliked Mr. Gold which was no secret, so it was to no surprise that Mr. Winter refused to divulge anything of importance. The pawn broker then used his financial power to force Hartley into revealing everything he knew. Mr. Gold was the landowner for Hartley's offices and small warehouse. If Gold were to revoke the lease, Winter's Heating would likely be forced out of business. The tactic worked and soon it became very clear to the pawn broker that Regina was directly involved in this matter. She might cost him a small fortune if her attempt to drive the Kensington family out of town succeeded. Mayor Mills had a nasty habit of using a broadsword when a scalpel was required.

Yet what caught Mr. Gold's attention was the news that Valerie Kensington had suffered an injury that caused her to think she was someone else entirely. And not just another person, but a fairy from a fictional place called Pixie Hollow. Although from Gold's perspective, it might not be so fictional.

* * *

**~O~**

"What was that all about?" Claire asked Hartley as he returned to the booth, slipping into his seat across from the lovely mother of two.

"It was just a business call," he told her. It was both a lie and the truth. "You know how it goes."

She nodded, with a knowing smile.

Vidia had to slide out of the booth to let him back in. She was about to sit down again when she accidentally knocked off the straw from the table. She leaned down to pick it up and spied Clarion's foot playfully sliding up and down Milori's leg. It was more than she needed to see. At the same time it meant that whatever forces had taken their memories, they were somehow still very attracted to each other. The magic that enthralled her friends couldn't overwhelm something as powerful as love.

The fast flyer sat back into her seat and mulled over the menu, though her mind was still distracted by the sights in the diner where they were to have dinner.

**~O~**

The drive from the hospital to the diner had been an experience for Vidia. The town was both familiar and different. Vidia and the other fairies had ventured to the mainland and London every warm season of every year. Roads and the buildings that lined them were a common feature of any city or town no matter the size or century.

Yet Storybrooke was different in so many ways. First were the red, yellow and green lamps which Tinker Bell, who still insisted on being called Tina, said were stop lights. "Green means go, yellow is a caution and red means stop." With some observation Vidia concluded that the yellow caution informed drivers that the red was about to light up and to be prepared to stop. The stop lights were meant to direct horseless carriages through heavily trafficked intersections in a manner meant to prevent accidents.

The buildings were different in their construction, as well. The architecture was almost nothing like what was seen in London. Both Tinker Bell and the queen told her about the styles of homes found here. Cape Cod, Tudor, Victorian, Queen Anne, Gothic, Greek Revival and others were among the older styles of homes and buildings while single story Ranch homes, Craftsman and Mediterranean styles dominated newer construction.

Vidia also learned that gaslight had long been replaced by electric light, just like the lights in the hospital. Gaslight was too dangerous compared to modern electric light. Tink and Queen Clarion started throwing words and phrases she couldn't understand like LED lighting, fluorescent bulbs and CCFL lights.

"What does all that mean?" she asked exasperated.

"Sorry, sweetie," the queen said with a sheepish look on her face. "We'll teach you."

Men were seen working all along the town's main road. When Vidia asked what they were doing, she was told they were decorating the city for Christmas. She was familiar with this human holiday, but rarely saw the city of London during winter. Warm weather fairies had always remained on Never Land Island during the winter season until Tinker Bell made friends with Lizzy and her father. Afterwards, she and her friends and Tink's sister, her real sister, Periwinkle, would regularly visit the Griffiths at their cottage outside London for the Christmas holiday.

The human house was decorated in a manner not very dissimilar to what the men were placing along the street. Fancy garlands, strings of lights, giant candy canes and wreaths with bows were hung from wires that stretched along the curb through the middle of town. Store fronts were also decorated as such, with colorful lights and strange looking mannequins of a fat man in a red coat and pants. Black boots, a cap with a puffball tail, warm mittens, a white beard and sometimes a bell rounded out the caricature.

"Who is that supposed to be?" she asked.

Shocked, both Tink and Queen Clarion responded. "That's Santa Clause!"

**~O~**

At the diner, Vidia was still taking in everything she saw. The funny box where paper napkins were stored, the clock with the blue glow, the shiny trim she learned was chrome and even the patrons, none of whom were familiar. Though one short, stout man did catch her attention. It was hard not to notice him. He possessed a grumpy disposition and made a fuss when two men asked if he could move over one stool so they could sit together. "Next time, get your slow asses here before I do," the stocky fellow chided them in a most hostile tone.

"Leroy, that's enough," an older women with white hair and glasses said, reprimanding him.

Leroy turned to face the other two and with a big, fake smile replied, "Next time, get your slow asses here before I do…, please."

Vidia rolled her eyes before preparing to take a sip of the tea she had ordered. She was about to take a drink when she noticed two things. First, it had ice. Second, there was a slice of lemon in it.

"Is it supposed to be this way?" she asked.

"Yes, dear. You always order iced tea at Granny's," her queen said. Vidia had ordered tea, but didn't ask for it iced. The waitress must have assumed iced because of Valerie's history.

Vidia sipped the tea. Its flavor was altered slightly by the presence of the lemon, but she recognized it as similar to what Lizzy served during Vidia's first "tea party." Then, it was hot, not cold and no lemon was present. In Pixie Hollow, the tea of choice was chamomile. A cup of that made a fairy feel calm and at peace. At night, it helped them sleep. The tea that Lizzy served, on the other hand, made Vidia energetic, almost jittery. She couldn't understand why.

Ruby, the young woman with the alarmingly short pants, arrived at their table to take their order. "What'll you have?" she asked with a charming smile. Not even Tink's little green dress was that revealing.

The queen ordered a hot sandwich made of turkey.

"Dinner is on me, order whatever your heart desires," Milori told her.

"The turkey sandwich will do, I have to watch my waistline," she answered. An obvious fib.

Lord Milori requested the same. Tinker Bell asked for a cheeseburger with bacon. Vidia, though couldn't really decide. Nearly every item listed had meat in it, a food every fairy in Pixie Hollow knew was immoral to eat. She sighed and asked for the egg salad sandwich. It was at least familiar and safe.

* * *

**~O~**

Penny tapped the keys of her laptop, putting the finishing touches on programming code to make use of outside resources, namely the computers of her IT friends in Storybrooke. Her entertainment laptop was playing an episode of Joss Whedon's short lived science fiction series _Firefly_. It was the episode where Captain Reynolds discovers he got married to a girl named Saffron on a planet he and his crew had just visited.

Penny was about to launch a test of the new code when her cell phone chirped. Any good network administrator always sets up their firewalls or servers to send an alert to the admin in case the network is being attacked by an outside source. It allows the administrator to respond in real time to the threat and prevent any damage.

Someone was trying to hack her private computer network at her house. "I think we're being watched," she told Allen.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because whoever is trying to hack my home network would only do it if they knew I wasn't home," she answered. "He or she knows I'm here. Probably the same person who attacked the hospital's system."

"That's a big leap of logic, don't you think?" Allen asked her.

"Not really," she answered. Allen never got an alert when the hospital's network security was breached. The intruder had ensured that no alert would reach him. At least that was Penny's conclusion. The hacker wanted Penny to know he (or she) was trying to gain access to her private computer network. It must have been a diversion. She wasn't going to fall for it. The target must be the hospital.

The young girl polled the logs of the hospital's firewall and noticed that select entries had been deleted. Most wouldn't even know what to look for, but Penny wasn't so easily fooled.

Next she scanned the incoming internet traffic. The missing firewall log entries were all for an unused internet port. Internet ports are, simply put, numbers that tell the computer what application, service or process to send the incoming traffic to. Each number is assigned to a specific service, application or process. Examples include incoming email on port 110, internet (http) on port 80 and secure internet (https) on port 443.

Some of these "logical" ports go unused. Firewalls shut them down to prevent unwanted access from an outside user, like a hacker. This time, though, the port was open when it shouldn't have been. The information being sent was intermittent, but it was at a constant interval. Now she knew for certain they were being watched.

"We should cut off internet access right away," Allen advised in a heightened state of flight or fight.

"No," she told him. "If we cut off internet access he'll know we are on to him. Let's leave things the way they are and see what his game is."

"Sounds dangerous," Allen commented.

"Danger is part of the job," Penny told him. "Like I always say, if you can't handle the stress get out of the server room."

* * *

**Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been distracted by stuff at home and adding chapters to other stories. I do hope you enjoyed this installment. **

**Note: The episode of _Firefly_ that Penny is watching featured Christina Hendricks as Saffron. Hendricks voiced Zarina in _The Pirate Fairy_.**


	67. Chapter 67

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire had always viewed herself as a strong and capable woman who did not need a man to complete her or come to her rescue. Yet every bit of evidence over these last few years seemed to contradict that assumption. When Charlie passed away her life revolved around his memory for years. She did her best to do his job, a line of work for which she was poorly suited.

She was a music major trying to run a construction business. If she were the fully independent woman she imagined herself to be, Claire would have shuttered the business and sought out work at one of the schools as a music teacher or playing the piano in the local orchestra providing music for live theater productions. The town's arts scene was where she belonged. Yet she chose not to pursue that avenue, keeping Charlie's business alive was all about keeping Charlie's memory alive.

Her marriage to Charles Kensington was utterly fulfilling and satisfying. She never wanted for anything. Though he couldn't buy her everything she wanted Charlie could make her feel so loved and adored that she never missed what she didn't have. Claire spent eight long and lonely years trying to recapture those same feelings and always failed. Memories only went so far.

Now she was enthralled by this handsome man who was her knight in shining armor. A man who had come to her rescue for no other reason than she needed a helping hand. Hartley was the proverbial Good Samaritan and she loved him for it. His gallantry, his good looks, his altruistic motives all struck a chord with her. Those feelings she had lost when Charlie died, were coming back and it was Hartley Winter who was making her feel so good all over again.

Claire began to wonder if she was letting herself by defined by another person. She asked herself, _if it makes me happy, is that really so bad_? After all, it wasn't that she needed a man, per se, but that she needed the love and companionship of a soul mate. And who cared if that soul mate was of the male persuasion so long as it brought love and happiness back into her home? Wasn't that what really mattered?

Her answer was yes, that's all that mattered.

**~O~**

Young Henry Mills visited Dr. Hopper's office for his regular session with the psychologist. They talked, as they always did, about his belief that everyone in Storybrooke was a fairy tale character. As they spoke, Henry noticed three DVD cases on Archie's desk.

"What are those?" he asked the doctor.

"Oh, those are for some research I'm conducting for a patient," Archie replied.

Henry strained to read the titles, he couldn't quite make them out, but they appeared to be fairy themed. "Aren't those movies for little girls?" he asked, turning his nose up at them.

Archie stopped writing and mulled over what the boy had just said. "Yes. Yes I suppose they are, Henry. But like I said, they're research."

"For who?"

"For whom, and it's confidential."

The boy stood up to get a closer look at the DVD covers. "Hey! These are Tinker Bell movies," he exclaimed.

"Uh, why don't we get back to our talk," Archie said, trying to regain control of the session.

"But she's in my book!"

"Who is, Henry?"

"Tinker Bell," the boy replied. "She tries to help the Evil Queen when she was still good."

"I don't remember that in the movie," Archie commented, referring to the widely known 1953 Disney Classic. In fact, Henry's book contained many classic characters of fairy tale literature that were made into Disney films. Yet none of those stories seemed consistent with those movies or even some of the more well-known revisions, such as those published by the Brothers Grimm.

Henry remembered that day a few weeks ago when Emma tracked down Ashley Boyd. A front page story alerted the town that Mrs. Kensington, a widowed mother of two girls, may have taken an iPad from local television celebrity Desiree Collingsworth. As it turned out, the iPad was just hiding in Desiree's car, under the seat. Letters had been posted in nearly every storefront announcing that Claire Kensington was not a thief. The newspaper had buried the story that exonerated Mrs. Kensington. That was the day Henry had made a tenuous connection between Tina Kensington, Claire's youngest daughter, and Tinker Bell.

Now here were these movies. Young Henry wondered why he had never heard of them before. In an instant he remembered why: the target audience for these movies was girls, not boys. "Are these about Tina Kensington and her sister?"

"How do you know about Valerie?"

"I read the paper," he said. The morning after the motorcycle accident, the particulars were detailed in an article of the Daily Mirror, the town's only news periodical. "What happened to her? To Valerie, I mean?"

"There's really nothing you can do, Henry," the doctor replied. Then something occurred to Archie. "Wait? What about Tina?"

"She might be Tinker Bell," Henry told him.

"I really think we should talk some more," Archie replied. It didn't matter now, Pandora's Box had been opened and Henry had become very curious about these films. He asked if he could borrow them after Archie had done his research. Dr. Hopper told the boy he would need them for some time, but suggested he talk to Emma, she had copies.

**~O~**

When dinner ended, Tina and Valerie / Vidia climbed into the truck and waited for Claire. From their vantage point they had a perfect view of Claire and Hartley who spent several minutes saying goodbye to each other. He clasped her shoulders and pulled in for a goodnight kiss. One that lasted for a solid minute.

Vidia, while embarrassed to have to see it, was at least grateful that they were falling in love. Tina, though, was thoroughly uncomfortable with the sight. She folded her arms and huffed.

"What's wrong with you?" Vidia asked her. "I thought you would be ecstatic? You were the one who brought them back together."

"Ecstatic? I don't want Mom falling in love with that man," Tina announced. "What about Dad? Doesn't she even care?"

"Dad?"

"Yeah. Dad. They were married for a long time and now he doesn't matter?"

Tinker Bell's answer made little sense to Vidia. They were fairies, they had no parents. Only the queen could be a mother if she chose. "Tinker Bell! What are you talking about? We never had a father. We never had a mother. We're fairies!"

Tink looked shocked and horrified. "How can you be so mean?"

Vidia gave up. Until she could reverse whatever had altered her friends and the queen, this discussion was pointless.

**~O~**

"We're home!" Claire announced to her two girls.

Vidia looked at the home where her queen drove the horseless carriage. The house looked similar in design to Lizzy Griffiths summer home. The major difference was that this house did not have a thatched roof. Instead it was made of shingles.

Queen Clarion referred to it as Tudor architecture, named for the Tudor family that reigned for many years as English Monarchs. The queen parked the carriage inside a carriage house, which they called a garage.

The three entered the house through a back door and into a room which Vidia quickly deduced was a kitchen. As before, the house used electric light to illuminate the interior. She took a quick look around and saw a number of objects that were somewhat familiar looking. A cooker was recognizable.

A tall, monolithic object thoroughly had Vidia baffled, though. There were two handles on it. Vidia pulled the lowest one and a door swung open. Inside were foodstuffs. And it was cold. The upper door was the same, but smaller. It was also colder inside that upper compartment.

"Whoa! It's like the Winter Woods in here," she said.

"Uh, that's the freezer," Tina announced, sounding confused. "You should know this. You've lived her all your life. Geez!"

"No I haven't," Vidia replied. "Today is my first day."

"Right! Fairy! I forgot," Tina said testily. "Y'know that was cool sounding the first couple of days, Val, but now it's getting old real fast."

Vidia closed both doors and turned to her old friend. "What's wrong with you?"

Claire was out of the room so Tina was able to speak more openly. "It's like I said at the diner. Mom is getting all goo-goo eyed with Mr. Hartley and I don't like it. He's not my Dad and no matter what she says, he never will be." With that, Tina was gone in a huff.

Vidia sighed. Then chased after her. "Wait!" The door swung open and into the next room. This was a formal dining room, with a large table and chairs at its center. On one wall was a cabinet where one might find plates, but it was empty.

"What goes in there?" Vidia asked herself. "Hey! Tinker Bell!" The flyer went through the door into the next room where she found Tink ascending a flight of stairs. "Why is that cabinet empty?"

Tinker Bell explained to her that it used to contain the queen's fine china. Expensive plates, saucers, cups and flatware. All of it had been sold to the pawn shop to help pay bills. The pawn shop owner, Mr. Gold, offered far less than it was actually worth, but it was necessary to prevent bill collectors from coming around. "She's been selling off quite a few things," Tink informed her. "Business hasn't been so good since Dad passed away."

Vidia stared back at the room where the empty cabinet stood. Currency had always been at the center of all human transactions. Paper or coin, if the humans said it had value then it did. Money was used either to buy or sell goods and services; or to render a value upon something; or it could be stored for future use.

Then she remembered all that money the deputy said was hers. From the hospital, Vidia carried a white bag with pull strings. In it was what little of Valerie's possessions survived this accident everyone kept talking about. Vidia sat at the large sofa and opened it. Inside were the torn remains of clothing, a wallet and all that money. Rolls and rolls of it. _I wonder if this will solve the queen's problems_, she asked herself.

The flyer had no sense of the true value of money or the items it had purchased in this human world. Fairies in Pixie Hollow never used currency. Vidia was going to have to learn how to use it, how to earn it and what value the humans placed on it if she was going to help her queen, and by extension herself, so long as they lived in this human world.

"Sweetie?" a kind and soft voice called out to her. She turned around, the queen was standing over her. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I was just looking at all of the… um… what is all of this?"

The queen chuckled and then sat down next to her. "What do you want to know?"

Vidia pointed to a large box in the room. It was very similar to the one in her hospital room, only larger. "Is that a television?"

The queen chuckled again. "Yes, it is." She picked up an odd looking box with buttons on it and pressed one. The television came to life. The sound, though, was very different than in the hospital. There it came from the little box that was always at her side. The sound was small and weak. Here it was deep, full and loud.

"Where is that coming from?"

"The television set, dear," the queen answered. Even with her memories and identity gone, the queen could still be gentle and caring. Vidia asked more questions about her "home" which the queen answered with a loving patience. The flyer learned that the house had its own indoor outhouses on both the lower and upper floors. The refrigerator / freezer was used to store foods that would spoil quickly. The cooker, or stove, worked on natural gas, an odorless and colorless substance that burned easily.

A large guest bedroom on the first floor had been converted into the queen's private office. Here she operated her "business." There was a desk with papers and books and something the queen referred to as a computer. Then Vidia asked about the china cabinet. Her queen sunk into one of the chairs in the dining room and sighed.

"Your father bought us that fine china when we got married. I hated selling it to Mr. Gold, but we needed the money."

"For what?"

The queen smiled at her. "You don't have to worry, sweetie," she said.

"I want to know, your highness" Vidia pressed.

Queen Clarion drew in a deep breath while staring at the empty cabinet. Vidia deduced that the queen had not intended to be without those dishes for very long. Time just snuck up on her. "I had to pay some bills and needed the money." It was the same story she had gotten from Tink. "Business was slow and I couldn't pay the bills on this house so I took my fine bone china and sold it to the pawn shop. I used the money to make sure we had food, water and heat."

Vidia could tell the queen was lying. Probably to spare her from worry. "Why?"

"Because nothing is more important to me than my girls," she said. Her eyes watered up. She blinked and that water drained down her cheek. "You and Tina are all that I have left."

Almost spontaneously, the queen reached out and wrapped her up in a big hug. "No matter what, we will always be together. Right?"

"Of course, your highness" Vidia answered. "Fairies always stick together."

The queen laughed a bit. "Yes. Fairies…, family always sticks together."

**~O~**

Mary Margaret answered a knock at her door, it was Henry. "Hi, Ms. Blanchard," he greeted with his boyish charm and beaming smile.

"Henry, what are you doing here?"

"I need to ask you a couple of questions about today's homework assignment," he said. "If that's okay with you."

"Yes, come in."

Henry sat at the table and removed his book from the backpack. Ms. Blanchard sat next to him and together they reviewed the questions Henry was having the most difficulty with. "You understood this so well in class today, Henry. What happened?"

"I forgot. You understand something one minute, the next you forget."

"That sounds very troubling," Mary Margaret said sounding very concerned. "Does this occur often?"

"Not really," he answered. "Usually I'll remember when I read the book again, but today I couldn't."

Emma descended the stairs from her upstairs bedroom. "Hey, kid," she greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi, Emma," he answered, trying to sound sincere. "I'm just here for some help with my homework assignment."

"That's not all, is it?" Emma asked, noticing the slight inflections of his voice that indicated he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Well, I was wondering if I could borrow something from you."

"Out with it."

"Do you still have those _Tinker Bell_ videos?"

"Tinker Bell? That's what you came all the way over here to get?"

"Wait, you don't need help with your homework?" Mary Margaret asked him, looking and sounding confused.

"I did, but I also wanted to ask Emma about those movies," Henry answered her.

"Why do you want them?" Emma asked him. "Those are for girls. I didn't think you would be into them."

"They're for research," Henry said, parroting Archie's response. "For Operation: Cobra."

"Operation: Cobra? Wait, does this have something to do with Valerie Kensington thinking she's a fairy?"

"Valerie thinks she's a fairy?" he asked, both perplexed and excited.

"Wait, what's going on here?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Henry has this idea that Tina Kensington is Tinker Bell," Emma replied.

"Tina!? Little blonde haired Tina?"

"You know her?" Emma asked her roommate.

"Yes, she was in my class six years ago," Ms. Blanchard confessed. "Very bright and eager to learn. I have one of her lawn ornaments in the front lawn."

"The Tinker Bell ornament?" Henry asked excitedly. "She made that?"

"Yes, Tina was always handy with tools," Mary Margaret said. "She probably got it from her father."

"See, she is Tinker Bell," Henry blurted out eagerly to Emma.

"Henry, we don't know that," Emma said. "Wait, who was her father?"

"Tina's dad was a contractor before he died," Mary Margaret informed her. "She was probably born with his love of tools. Like father, like daughter."

"Can I borrow the movies?" Henry asked Emma again. "Please? I promise to return them by the end of the week."

"Okay, I'll get the videos," Emma responded, acquiescing to his pleas. She ascended the stairs and returned moments later with the three DVD's in hand. "But I want them back by Saturday. Remember, kid, I know where you live."

Henry smiled. "Deal. Now tell me more about Valerie? Why does she think she is a fairy?"

Emma opened the door and barked, "Out!"

"I'll see you tomorrow in class," Mary Margaret said as she waved goodbye to her student.

"Goodbye, Ms. Blanchard," Henry replied, waving back. Then he stopped in the doorway to talk with Emma. "Who does Valerie think she is again?"

"Go home, Henry," Emma told him. "Before your mother comes around looking for you."

"Okay. Bye, Emma."

* * *

**Henry is finally getting clued in. Vidia has come home and Tina is none too happy with her mother dating another man. Tune in next time for more.**

**Thanks to you, this story has just reached another milestone. Two hundred reviews. CAKE AND ICE CREAM FOR EVERYONE! ...wait?**


	68. Chapter 68

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina had calmed down enough to do her homework. Though she still felt the resentment of another man in her mother's life, it didn't dominate her thoughts. Instead, geometric proofs took center stage in her mind, until a text message arrived on her cell phone. It was from Blake, who wanted to know how she was doing.

Her return text simply read "Fine." Moments later, Blake asked if she needed to talk. Her reply was "No." He sent another text message, this one asking how she liked the muffins. Tina explained that her mother had confiscated them and thrown them in the trash. He offered to bring her more the next time he drove by her house. That's when Tina asked him out on a date.

She was still mad at Clarence and was determined to never speak to him again for at least two weeks. Blake presented a different opportunity. Unlike Clarence, whom Tina regarded as just a boy, Blake was an older and mature man. Someone who was more responsible and didn't ask stupid questions like was it 'her time of the month.'

And if it made Clarence jealous, so much the better. If she found Blake not to her liking, Tina could always let him down gently and go back to Clarence. By then his jealousy should force him to straighten up.

**~O~**

Vidia and her queen spent the evening watching television together. When she was younger Valerie used to enjoy watching television with her parents, the queen told her. They watched two back to back episodes of a show called _Psych_ about a psychic detective who really wasn't. At least that was what Vidia took away from it. Also in Vidia's opinion, Shawn Spencer, the fake psychic detective acted like a child. Or an idiot. Possibly both.

Queen Clarion found the show entertaining. Vidia, not so much.

"It's getting late," Clarion said after the second episode concluded.

"Where is my room?" Vidia asked both eager to see where she would sleep and apprehensive about what she might find there.

Again, Clarion responded as though this were a totally odd question for her to ask before remembering this wasn't Valerie anymore. "Yes, of course. Up those stairs. Let me show you."

Vidia followed her up the staircase and was shown to her bedroom. Upon opening the door, her first assessment was that it was considerably smaller than her home in the Sour Plum Tree. There was at least a bed, which looked fairly comfortable. Across from it was a desk with something white sitting atop it.

"What is that?"

"Oh, that's your iMac, dear," Clarion replied.

"My what?"

The iMac was a computer, similar to the one in the Queen's office downstairs. It was made by another company and had an interface to that was similar, but different. "Apple makes their own operating system."

This meant absolutely nothing to the fast flyer. Vidia figured she would learn about it later. A chest of drawers was under the bed, which was a built in. Inside were undergarments, t-shirts, socks and stockings. The stockings were very sheer and see through. They were also all in black. Queen Clarion also pointed out the closet, where the last of her pants, dresses, shirts and blouses hung.

"I have dresses?" Vidia hadn't worn a dress since her run in with Wisp centuries ago. She searched through the closet and found a few dresses, most of which looked like they might be formal. The queen mentioned that two of them were "business" attire and two were formal. She pulled out one very formal looking dress, held it up and said that Valerie wore it to her father's funeral.

The flyer wondered why anyone would put that kind of memory into the queen's head. Tinker Bell kept talking about their "father," too. Maybe she was going about this wrong way. Instead of looking for her friends, she needed to find out who did this first and force them to send everyone back. At the very least to restore their memories. She quickly decided against this plan of action as Vidia had no idea who or what she would up against.

The flyer sifted through the closet and discovered that all of her, or rather, Valerie's pants were large, baggy and black. In fact, her entire wardrobe was almost entirely in black.

"Did Valerie actually wear these?"

"Yes. Yes she did. I think you, I mean, she was turning into a Goth."

"A what?"

"I couldn't explain it, sweetie. Even I don't understand what being a Goth means. Why don't you Google it?"

"Google? What's a Google?"

"It's a web search engine where you can…," Vidia's confused expression cut her off completely. "I'll explain later."

On the closet floor were her shoes. Vidia picked up each pair as Clarion described them. First a pair of steel toe work sneakers. These shoes had hard, sheets of steel that protected the toes.

"From what?" Vidia asked.

They were safety gear to prevent injury in the event something heavy fell on the feet. Tools, equipment, heavy construction materials. A yellow hard hat that the queen pointed out offered similar protection for the head.

_Tinker Bell never wore anything like this_, Vidia remembered. _She was always building things_. "Do I have to wear them?"

"Yes, when you are on the job site," her queen replied. "Too many chances for injury to not wear them."

Next up were pumps, for comfort and daily use when sneakers were too casual. "They're so cute, aren't they?" she said. The next pair were heels which she described as for everyday use followed by a different pair that were classified as dress heels.

"Wait, everyday heels?"

"Yes, for wearing around town with your regular clothes. Y'know, semi-casual." the queen said. "The dress heels are for formal occasions. Like weddings or fu-." She was about to say 'funeral,' but cut herself off. Vidia could sense it was still a painful memory for her.

Vidia took one look at the heeled shoes and noticed that the back of each was set much higher than the rest of the foot. She had seen heels of this type on human footwear, but never so tall. "These look painful."

"They can be, but they accentuate the curves of our legs and butt making us look _oh_ _so_ good. It also drives men crazy."

"O-okay. And what are these?" she asked pointing to a pair of fuzzy slip-ons.

"Those are your house slippers," the queen answered.

"Well, what am I wearing now?" Vidia asked. As it turned out, she had a second pair of sneakers. These did not have the steel toe protection and were for daily use. The sneakers were fairly comfortable, but preferred her old, purple slippers.

Hanging on the closet door, Clarion explained, was her robe. Draped over the chair at her desk, were Valerie's pajamas. On the back of the main door was a full length mirror Valerie used for dressing.

"Oh and the bathroom is right across the hall," the queen added. "You might want to get up early in the morning or else Tina will get in their first."

"I don't have my own?"

"Sorry, sweetie, you and your sister have to share."

"Okay, one more time. Tinker Bell is not my sister. Periwinkle is her sister."

The Queen looked so hurt by those words.

Vidia sighed, remembering the futility of the current situation. "Anything else I should know about? Like how do I turn off the lights when it is way up there on the ceiling?"

Queen Clarion introduced her to the concept of the light switch. One flip and the lights went off. Flipping it back turned the lights back on again. "Typically you leave your desk lamp on so you can see your way to the bathroom if you have to pee at night." Clarion showed her the little switch that clicked the desk lamp on and off. She only had to push it back and forth to do so.

Her room was also furnished with a television set which could be viewed from the bed. There was a dormer window and a window seat, which could be opened for additional storage. Valerie typically used it to store her comforter, sheets and pillow cases for the winter months. One blanket was made from a type of material Vidia did not recognize, but was very soft. The label read polyester, whatever that was.

Vidia decided to try out the bed. She sat in it and found it to be modestly firm. Laying down, Vidia instantly launched herself from the mattress. "WHOA!"

"What is it, sweetheart?" the queen asked her.

"What is that?" Vidia asked, pointing to the ceiling over the bed. Valerie had placed several posters for heavy metal and death metal rock bands right over the bed. These groups had names like AC/DC, Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Cradle of Filth. Each poster had dark, disturbing and / or grotesque imagery. The AC/DC poster in particular had a demonic look and feel to it.

"Those are your favorite music groups," Clarion told her.

"With names like that? Are you crazy? I don't want to stare at that while I'm trying to sleep," Vidia yelled. "How do I take them down?"

"You don't want them on your ceiling?"

"No! They'll give me nightmares."

Queen Clarion grabbed her into a tight and warm embrace. Vidia heard her whisper, "I've been waiting years for you to say that. I'll get the stepladder." She stepped outside for a moment. Vidia looked at the posters, then at the all black clothing in the closet. She even remembered that horrible music from the magic music box that Tinker Bell called an iPod something. Given consideration to all that, Vidia felt out of place here. Like she was sleeping in someone else's home.

Her first thoughts, which she verbalized, were, "Who was this person? She's crazy." All Vidia wanted at this moment was to be back in her comfortable Sour Plum Tree home in Pixie Hollow.

The queen returned with a ladder and carefully removed each one. Vidia watched, cradling her arm which had the splint on it, feeling a bit useless. Each poster was rolled and bound with a stretchy thingy. "Just tear them down. Tear them to shreds."

"Why? You might be able to sell them."

"Who would want those in their houses?"

"Well, you did, sweetie, for a several years. I'm sure someone else in Storybrooke will."

"Just-, just get them out of my room, please."

"Okay." The queen finished removing each and every one of the awful posters. Each was carefully rolled and bound. "Better?"

"Yes. Much. Thank you, your highness."

"Mom," the queen said.

"What?" Vidia asked.

Queen Clarion laid the rolled posters on the desk and sat in the chair. She took Vidia's hands in her own and with a pleading look said, "I'm not a queen or a highness, sweetheart. I'm your mother. You always called me Mom. Don't you remember?"

Vidia shook her head "no." She was about to lecture the queen again that fairies didn't have parents, but remembered the useless nature of it all. No one here recalled their true selves. Saying anything would only be a waste of time and energy.

"Honey, I've been your mother your whole life. I changed your diapers. I potty trained you. Sent you to school and watched you cry that first day. I helped you comb your hair, pick out clothes and assisted you with your homework. I guided you through every good and bad moment in your life. So please, call me Mom."

"Uh…"

"Ple-ease?"

Vidia sighed. Then tried to form that word. "Mo-." She took in a deep breath and tried again. "Mom."

The queen smiled so happily. "My baby." She hugged Vidia again. This was so different from the queen she knew, who was always so aloof when it came to touching or being touched. She rarely hugged and kept a certain distance from her subjects even as she cared for them like a…, like a mother.

"Thank you," she said to Vidia. "Now get some sleep. I'll wake you up early tomorrow so we can go to work."

The queen kissed the flyer on the head one last time before leaving the room, taking the rolled posters with her. "Goodnight, Valerie."

"Vidia."

Clarion nodded. "Okay, Vidia. Goodnight, sweetie."

"Goodnight, your…, uh, M-Mom." Clarion smiled once more before closing the door behind her. Vidia clicked on the lamp and turned off the overhead light. She was fascinated that a tiny switch could darken a room so completely. She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, the ceiling thankfully void of those awful posters and their death imagery. She closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep when something the queen said suddenly registered.

"Work? What will I be expected to do?"

**~O~**

At his home, Dr. Hopper climbed into home after watching the first of the Tinker Bell films. He found several details that were similar or even identical to what Valerie had told him at the hospital. Yet there were certain details like Swift and Festus, the race against Wisp and many other events that didn't appear in the movie. There were two more films to go and they might appear in one of those.

It was late, the other two would be for tomorrow evening. He had plenty of time before he had to render a diagnosis. Dr. Hopper made a mental note to interview Valerie after he had watched all three movies. He needed some clarification from her. He also needed to talk with Henry. Knowing the boy, he went looking for these same films. Archie didn't want Henry to talk with Valerie until after the hearing. "Vidia" needed to be as unspoiled as possible when it came to these films.

**~O~**

Penny remained at the hospital, staying awake with cans of Red Bull, implementing her newly coded and tested hard drive recovery utility. She had decided not to go home, instead staying in the hospital server room so she could deal with any problems that might crop up as they happened. And if her "guest" tried anything overnight, she could stop him or her dead in their tracks.

Had she gone home, Penny could have stopped the intruder. The hacker who had deleted the information from the hospital servers and scattered an old back up across every desktop and laptop in the hospital. He or she had expertly bypassed all of Ms. Steveston's home and computer security and was uploading to Penny's servers the deleted information. In just over twenty four hours, the upload would be complete, then Penny would take the fall for the cyber break in.

Game. Set. Match.

* * *

**Well, I had hoped to be done with this interlude long ago, but there was so much more to write about than what I had anticipated. Hopefully I haven't lost too many of my readers who just want this story to get back on track. I'll try and speed things up a bit in future chapters. **

**I will leave you with this thought: Vidia had to call her own queen "Mom." How nutty is that?**

**Thanks to everyone and anyone who is still reading. And as always, your feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	69. Chapter 69

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Wake up, sweetie," a voice called to her. It was a soothing voice. In fact, it was her queen. Vidia awoke in her Sour Plum Tree home. She could feel her wings stretching out as if beckoning to the sky. They shook and quivered with so much anticipation. It was all a dream, wasn't it? Storybrooke. Being a human. Everyone losing their memories.

Yes, it all was just a terrible nightmare.

Queen Clarion, in all her regal glory was sitting by her side. She was calling to her with a soothing, gentle voice. "Wake up, sweetie," she said again. Vidia could feel the queen's hand on her cheek, lightly pulling her hair away from her face. "Valerie, sweetheart, wake up."

_Valerie?_

Vidia's eyes opened. "Where am I?" she mumbled.

"You're home," the queen's nurturing voice whispered. "How does it feel to wake up in your own room rather than that sterile looking hospital?"

She was in the human house. She was still human. Her queen still believed she was another person.

"Get up, honey," she said again. "I know you probably want to sleep in today after everything that has happened, but we need to get back to work."

"Work?"

"Um hm. We have that job in the Town Hall. It needs to be finished on time or I'll never get another contract with the city. So let's go sleepy head." The queen leaned over and kissed Vidia on the temple. A strange thing for the queen to do, Vidia thought.

Then her majesty cheerfully added, "Up and at 'em."

Clarion stood up from her bed. Vidia sat up, looking around. The queen turned on the television set which at the moment was showing _Storybrooke This Morning_. Rosetta, under the name Desiree, had returned to her morning show and was excitedly talking about her new boobs.

"She hasn't mentioned us at all today," Queen Clarion said of her. "I wonder if she forgot. Oh, and I asked Tina to use my bathroom, so the one in the hall is all yours."

**~O~**

Getting ready this morning presented many new challenges for the displaced fast flyer. She was confronted with so many new experiences. Some fascinating, others just plain baffling. For instance, why were there two light switches in the bathroom? And why did the shower in this room have a vine attached to the showerhead. When she tried it out and discovered its purpose, Vidia was pleasantly surprised. Even more so when she found out that by turning the shower head it could change from a spray to a pulsing massage.

It felt so good.

After her morning bath and brushing of teeth, Vidia returned to Valerie's room to finish dressing. She could have sworn that she heard a ringing sound while in the shower, but the sound was gone now. Her next challenge was putting on the brassiere. Her queen assisted her with it at the hospital. Removing it wasn't so hard, but putting on a fresh one without help proved to be nearly impossible. Using the full length mirror that hung on her door and craning her neck to see the reflection proved useful. It also reminded her of the awful tattoo that Valerie had decided to put on her back. It was also a painful reminder of something else. No wings. She had to sit down and come to terms that she could no longer fly.

A smile played across her face. For some insane reason Vidia was reminded of Zarina, who walked everywhere in Pixie Hollow because she was saving her dust for experiments. Vidia even remembered what she said to her just a few days before that incident.

_Zarina had announced she was out for a stroll that morning on her way to the Pixie Dust Depot. _

_"Hi, Vidia," Zarina greeted. "Nice wind."_

_The flyer was busy helping Fawn to bath the baby birds. Her role was to create a wind to dry their wings. She stopped briefly to return the greeting._

_"Thanks. What's a stroll?"_

Now Vidia would know what a stroll was because she would have to take one several times a day just get from one place to another. No more wings, no more flying. No more racing dragonflies or knocking leaves from branches. Just walking. Lots and lots of walking.

Vidia hoped her legs wouldn't give out on her.

**~O~**

Claire was busy making breakfast for her two girls once more and it felt good. Even as she was so tired of this morning routine each and every day, there was a comfort she drew from knowing it was for both of her babies and not just one. She chuckled to herself, parents always saw their children as babies no matter how old they got. Even her own mother was that way. Claire thought it was just so stupid and embarrassing until she had children of her own. Now they were _her_ babies, even though one was sixteen and the other twenty four.

Deputy Emma Swan called to inform her that Valerie was to be arraigned tomorrow morning. "You had better talk to your lawyer before then," she advised Claire.

"We don't have one," Claire replied. "I can't afford an expensive attorney."

"The city will appoint one for you, then," the deputy told her. "I'll give you the name and address for the one assigned to you."

_Great, that's all I need_, Claire sighed. _Another lost day at the job. The mayor is going to cancel my contract with the city and make sure I never get another one ever again._

There was only one answer, hire some help to do the work until all of this blows over. However, that meant spending money she couldn't afford. _Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Claire_, she thought to herself. _So what else is new? _

"Oh, one more thing," Emma started. "The mayor found out that Desiree Collingsworth spoke with you and your daughter at the hospital. She insisted that Desiree not speak about your case on air until after the trial."

"Trial? I thought this was just supposed to be a hearing?"

The hearing was to determine if there would be a trial, Emma explained. In the event there was one, though, the mayor wanted an impartial jury. Telling everyone in Storybrooke would make that extremely difficult.

"But…, but Desiree promised," Claire replied, sounding desperate. "It was going to bring in more customers. We need the money, deputy."

"I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Regina this time," Emma Swan told her. "An impartial jury will…"

"An impartial jury means Valerie is more likely to go to jail."

"A jury that knows in advance might be moved by their emotions to let her off without considering other testimony or evidence," Emma Swan explained. "It would leave too many question marks about whether or not Valerie is truly deserving to be released. Look, I know she isn't lying about what has happened to her, but we can't leave too many questions linger about how she avoided jail time. Your whole family could become pariahs in this town and then you'll never earn another dollar."

Claire sighed. It was a huge risk Emma was asking her to take. "Alright. What is the information for the attorney who will be representing Valerie?"

**~O~**

"I've got to get new clothes," Valerie muttered to herself. She was staring at a shirt that read "Highway To Hell" in red on black fabric. She put it back and found a plain, black one instead.

_But how, and where? Were there any dressmaking talents in Storybrooke? Would they even recall their own talent?_ No one she had met from Pixie Hollow was doing anything remotely close to what their talent was. Well except for Terence who was delivering mail. And why was that evil woman the mayor of Storybrooke and not Queen Clarion? She would make a much better town leader. She was a natural leader, after all.

"C'mon, girls. Breakfast!" she heard the queen yell up to her and Tink.

**~O~**

The kitchen supplied another shock for Vidia. Queen Clarion was cooking. There were pancakes on a griddle, eggs frying in a pan and some kind of long strips of meat in another pan. "What is that?" she asked pointing to the meat.

"Low fat, low sodium bacon," her queen answered. "Want some?"

"It's meat, remember?"

"Oh right, sorry. You're a vegetarian now."

"Where are your helper talents?"

"My what?"

"Your helpers? Cinda, Grace, Lisel and Rhia? They do all the work for you."

Clarion chuckled nervously. Almost despondent, in fact. "Oh, Valerie, we can't afford maids. I can't even afford this house." Her voice trailed off at the end. Vidia could barely hear what she said, but it was still clear enough.

"Why?"

The queen put a plate of food before her. "Eat your breakfast, sweetie."

"What's going on that we can't afford this-"

"JUST EAT YOUR DAMN BREAKFAST!" the queen yelled. Vidia had never heard her so angry. Nor did she remember her yelling so. Queen Clarion was always the picture of reserved grace. She almost never raised her voice or sounded too angry or too sad or too anything. The outburst caught Vidia by such a surprise she nearly shot out of her chair.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Clarion said in her gentlest tones, hugging Vidia as she spoke. "Everything costs money. We just don't have enough coming in to pay Mr. Gold and all of our other bills, that's all. The hospital bills and lost days on the job are only making things harder for us."

It was pretty much the same thing Tinker Bell and Clarion had told her last night. Today, though, the queen seemed almost desperate. Vidia didn't know what happened to make her like this in the span of one night, but she needed to find out. Getting everyone back to Pixie Hollow would be very difficult if they had no place to live. Now she had a new directive, keep herself, Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell in this house no matter what.

The queen put out another plate of food for Tinker Bell and a third for herself. Tink slipped into the room seconds later and all three ate, though quietly. Vidia felt strange, almost afraid after Clarion's outburst. She was clearly stressed and on edge. Not wanting to suffer the queen's wrath again, Vidia asked Tinker Bell about the dark, hot and bitter drink she was given.

"Its coffee," Tink informed her. "If you don't like it, you can add sugar."

The sweetener helped improve the taste. Still, she would have preferred tea. To be perfectly honest, she would have preferred to be back in Pixie Hollow.

**~O~**

"What's this place?" Vidia asked.

"It's where I go to school," Tinker Bell replied. "You graduated from here."

"I did?"

"Yes, sweetie, you did," Clarion told her. "Tina and I were at the ceremony. Your father would have been so proud of you. I know I was."

The building was a large place, with several levels and numerous windows on each floor. There was a strange look to its design that the queen said was Art Deco, whatever that meant. Tinker Bell kissed the queen on the cheek before saying goodbye. She exited the truck and ran into the building.

From there they were to meet with lawyers, Clarion told Vidia. Lawyers who would defend them in court.

**~O~**

Two men in nice suits occupied a room of an old Victorian style home. It had been retrofitted into a law practice with offices, meeting rooms and a secretary who greeted their clients. If they had any. Robert and Jeff were the least respected defense lawyers in all of Storybrooke. They had graduated dead last and second to dead last in their class, passed the bar exam after numerous failed attempts and had a terrible habit of bickering over minutia.

On top of all this, they simply weren't very good. They had lost every case they tried to defend with a single exception, which they won by sheer accident. When asked why they still remained practicing lawyers their answer was always the same: they enjoyed it.

Robert, who was tall and somewhat thin was reading the newspaper looking for potential clients. If someone believed they were wronged and was looking for a lawyer to prosecute, then someone else needed a lawyer to defend them. Business was so bad they had been reduced to being ambulance chasers. Or rather, chasing the ambulance chasers.

Jeff, a shorter, stocky fellow was sitting at his desk working on the computer. He had been tapping keys and clicking his mouse every day for the past several days. Finally he let out a victorious whoop and stuck his arms in the air. "Yes, it's done."

Robert, who appeared annoyed by the disruption looked up and asked, "What are you doing?"

Jeff answered cheerfully, "I've been thinking up slogans for our web page to drive more business to our door. I think I've finally hit on one."

"I seriously doubt it."

"Wait. You don't think I can do this?"

"Not really."

"And why not?"

Robert put down his paper and looked directly at his law partner. "Because the last slogan you came up with made us sound like cheese merchants."

"No it didn't," Jeff answered.

"Yes, it did."

"No! It! Didn't!"

"YES! IT! DID!" Robert said with much emphasis. "Why do you think we kept getting calls for prices on sliced Gouda?"

"I thought they were dialing the wrong number," Jeff replied. "It does happen."

"Every call? For a month?"

"Well I don't see you doing any better," Jeff sneered.

"Okay, okay. Tell me what you have."

"HA! I knew you would come around," Jeff replied, sounding awfully pleased with himself. "Tell me what you think of this: Fee Fi Fum, we smell the blood of a guilty man!"

"Oh, that's good," Robert said, sounding surprised.

"Really?" Jeff asked.

"Oh yes. Very nice. Catchy, too. It taps into a well-known phrase and lingers on the mental palate for days."

"Thank you. That's exactly what I was going for."

"There is just one problem. A very small one actually."

"What's that?"

Robert stood up and yelled, "WE ARE DEFENSE ATTORNEYS! We don't prosecute, we defend! Remember?! Our job is to keep our clients from being declared guilty!"

"...oh!" was Jeff's response after a short pause during which he was considering the words of his law partner.

**~O~**

Claire and Vidia were in the law office waiting room. They had arrived just in time to hear the outburst from behind the closed doors. Vidia's facial expression conveyed horror. Claire's expression was more in line with despair. She embraced her eldest daughter, trying to convey the maternal love that she had for her, while also attempting to offer some kind of symbolic protection and comfort. Claire knew that if these were to be their defense attorneys, Valerie would most assuredly go to jail.

* * *

**Those two bickering defense attorneys? They're Grimsley and Leech, the bickering trolls who guard the troll bridge in _Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure_. Their names, Robert and Jeff, come from their voice actors Rob Paulson and Jeff Bennett. (Rob and Jeff also voice Bobble and Clank.)**


	70. Chapter 70

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between Episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire's fears only grew with each passing hour. The court appointed lawyers were imbeciles. Depositions were taken, evidence was reviewed and both Dr. Whale and Dr. Hopper were consulted by phone regarding Valerie's change in personality and her claim to being another person altogether. The only evidence missing, the lynchpin, were the MRI scans that revealed a change in her brain activity. Hopefully Penny was doing her best to recover them in time for the actual hearing.

Yet what frightened Claire most of all was just how unprofessional, petty and incompetent these two men were. They glossed over important information and then had running arguments over the most trivial of details. They even argued about how they wanted their coffee, as if it was up for debate. She looked over at her daughter frequently to gauge her reaction. What Claire saw was shock and frustration. Then urgency and even disgust and anger at these two nitwits. Yet what she never saw was outright fear. It distressed her to not see fear at the dim prospects for her future.

The entire ordeal lasted most of the day and neither of the two attorneys even offered them a bite to eat when lunch time rolled around. Of course, the two men didn't seem eager to have lunch themselves, they were too busy yelling at each other over nonsense. Perhaps most dispiriting was that Rob took to insulting Jeff, calling him a garden gnome. Jeff took it personally and began to pout. Rob finally had to apologize and the two made up as friends just long enough for them to find something else to argue about. If one or both of these men was that easily insulted to the point of tears, what would they do in a courtroom where the opposition wouldn't be so contrite?

**~O~**

Blake was just too pleased with himself today. Chester noticed it easily, but waited for Blake to tell him why. However, Blake wasn't so forthcoming. He wanted Chester to ask, eventually he did.

"Okay, what's got you so puffed up today?" Chet asked via the Bluetooth headsets they wore while picking up trash.

Blake let out a triumphant holler before continuing. "I've got a date with the prettiest girl in town. Tina asked me out last night."

"She asked you out? I thought you were going to ask her out? No wait, let me guess. You two have decided to switch gender roles. You're the girl and she's the man in the relationship. What _will_ you do for your bridal shower?"

"Nope, not even your sarcastic tone can deflate my sails this good morning," Blake answered with impenetrable enthusiasm. "It doesn't matter who asked who, I've got a date."

"Aren't you supposed to be like forty before you start seducing teenagers?"

"We are very close in age, it doesn't matter."

"I don't think fuzzy math counts. Besides if you actually do go out on a date with a sixteen year old, just remember that Liam Neeson is going to hunt you down and kick your ass. Just like in that movie, _Taken_."

There was a brief pause before Blake replied. "He's not so tough."

**~O~**

Once the consultation was mercifully over, Claire felt the weight of inevitable doom on her shoulders. It was reflected in how she carried herself. She slumped her shoulders, shuffled her feet and appeared to be staring into space most of the remaining hours of the day.

It was now almost three and school was going to let out. It amazed her how much time the two lawyers wasted today. Time she needed to get back on the job at the Town Hall or risk losing the contract. If that happened it would be increasingly difficult to find work, even if the unusual circumstances of what happened became public knowledge. It would reveal just how small and unreliable her company had become over the past few years.

Claire drove to the high school and picked up Tina just as classes let out.

"So how did it go?" the teen asked.

"Lousy," Valerie said immediately. "We need better representation."

"I can't afford anyone else," Claire sighed. "We're stuck with them."

**~O~**

"We're stuck with them."

Those words hit Vidia like a pound of pebbles. She was not unfamiliar with legal proceedings having been part of the trial against the fast flyers who wanted to overthrow the queen many centuries ago. The flyer understood the need for proper representation and they weren't getting it from Robert and Jeff.

"This isn't an option," Vidia spoke up. "We need better lawyers or the case against me is going to stick."

Clarion shut her eyes and nodded. "I know, honey. But without the money to pay them, they will never help us."

"Well, Valerie had some money maybe that will help."

The queen explained just how expensive good lawyers can be. The costs were outrageous. Unless someone was willing to step up and offer their services pro bono, meaning at a reduced cost or for free, there were no other options.

Vidia shrunk into her seat. The realization of this set in quickly. That evil Regina woman was going to win after all. It burned Vidia to her core to have been outmaneuvered. It had been done to her before, but then she was a naïve young fairy.

It seemed that naiveté becoming an issue again. Her lack of familiarity with this human world, a world of the future, was so beyond her grasp she couldn't use it effectively to her own ends.

Then another thought struck her. She couldn't navigate this world, but someone else could. Someone like Deputy Emma Swan who believed in her, or Lord Milori who was in love with the queen and would lay down his life to help her. Vidia now felt emboldened, except for one tiny detail. She had no idea how to contact them. Viola wasn't at the queen's side, so just how did humans summon each other in this place. She had to find out.

**~O~**

Claire drove home. "I know we have a lot to do tomorrow, but there is still the city contract we have to fulfill," she told her two girls. Her intention was for all three to eat something quick. Then they would go to the Town Hall and do as much work before nightfall.

"But I have homework," Tina said.

"Take your books," Claire answered. "Help us for a while and then do your studies there."

**~O~**

After a bowl of cereal, which had slices of banana, strawberry and some blueberries thrown in for good measure, Vidia had to change into the steel toe shoes. They were the most uncomfortable shoes she had ever known. The steel toe protection severely limited the amount of room in her shoes. Her toes felt caged, she couldn't even wiggle them. The flyer asked if it was necessary, Clarion told her they were.

Their work involved painting and repair work, some of which would be on a scaffold. "And don't forget your hardhat," she told Vidia. Something else she disliked the instant she put it on.

**~O~**

On the way over, Vidia noticed that they drove passed the building with the words "Town Hall" on it. Tina asked where they were going. To finish their work faster it was now necessary to contract out to hired labor. Their destination was the street were the day laborers gathered. Clarion wondered aloud if any of them remained this late in the day.

A couple of blocks from their destination Vidia spotted two people on the sidewalk that she recognized.

"Stop! That's Clank and Bobble."

"Who?" Tina asked.

"Clank and Bobble," Vidia answered. "They work side by side with you, Tink. You know them. They're members of the Tinker Talent Guild, just like you."

"Yeah, I've heard of them alright," Tink answered. "They got themselves fired for having a light saber duel with a pair of back hoes."

Vidia's confused look prompted Tink to reply, "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Not a clue. But we have to turn back."

Clarion was not inclined to do so. Those two were a little drunk when they used city property for their impromptu swordfight and she wanted no part of their hijinks, especially on such a critical city contract. Vidia bade her once more to turn back, but Clarion refused. However, at the site where the day laborers gathered, no one was there. They had all gone home or found work.

"Oh, what am I going to do," Clarion whimpered. "We have got to catch up or get fired."

Vidia held her tongue for a moment. Then spoke up again. "We need to go back and get Clank and Bobble. They're experienced tinkers. They do good work, I've seen it."

The queen dropped her head onto the steering column. She sighed. "I guess we don't have much of a choice." Clarion turned around and located the two men.

"Stay in the car," she ordered. In less than a minute of conversation that Vidia couldn't hear, Clank and Bobble shook the queen's hands and hopped into the cargo bed of the pickup truck. Vidia finally remembering the name of the queen's horseless carriage.

**~O~**

Well into the late afternoon and early evening Claire, Tina, Valerie and their two hired workers Paul and Bennie worked to gut several walls of the Town Hall so they could be rebuilt and painted. With so many hands the task was made much easier. Eventually Tina had to stop and do her homework. Valerie was limited by her one good hand, but Claire made the best of the situation putting her to work discarding buckets of rotted wood into a large dumpster out back.

"Be careful of the rusted nails," Claire told her. Valerie noted the protruding metal spikes. She kept her work gloves on at all times along with safety glasses and hardhat.

Mrs. Kensington stopped momentarily to watch her eldest girl take a bucket outside to empty it. This was the first time she had ever seen Valerie work so hard. She seemed dedicated to the project and not engaged in some fantasy about flying planes. Claire was so proud of her.

**~O~**

Vidia knew hard work. As a friend to a tinker fairy, several in fact, she had spent more than her share of time building some crazy Tinker Bell designed contraption or another. She helped to build the snow maker when Tink met her sister in the Winter Woods. She also assisted in the construction of a boat which she and her friends used to try and rescue Tink from the human house that one summer when they met Lizzy. Then, when Zarina switched their talents, it was Vidia, now a tinker, who devised and constructed a makeshift boat from a crocodile eggshell and some vines provided by Iridessa, who was temporarily a garden fairy.

Today, though, was the first time she didn't have her wings to propel her. Everything was done on foot, an inefficient and tiring way of doing things. It was made all that much harder with one hand still in a splint. The hardhat she was forced to wear was hot and became increasingly uncomfortable, the steel toe shoes were an exercise in nagging discomfort, but it was that funny, orange liquid they all drank regularly that was the most confounding.

"What do you call this stuff again?" she asked Tink.

"Gatorade."

"It's not made from alligators, is it?" Vidia asked, horrified. Tinker Bell explained that the name was derived from the mascot at the university where the drink was developed. "The University of Florida Gators."

To Vidia it tasted sweet and orange, but also very salty. Tink explained why, using words like "electrolytes" that went right over Vidia's head. "Supposedly it does more than put back water, but also certain things you sweat out."

"Does it?"

"Don't know. I just like the taste."

**~O~**

At the conclusion of their marathon work session, Claire paid the two men she had contracted that day. She was impressed by their work ethic and attention to detail.

"If you need more help, you know where to find us," Paul told her.

"We're always looking for good jobs from good people, just like yourself," Ben added with a cheery smile.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I will certainly keep you in mind," Claire answered in a non-committal way.

**~O~**

On the walk back to their one room efficiency, Paul who was rather short and skinny with a shock of orange hair and wearing coke bottle glasses, turned to his friend and with a happy tone of voice said, "You know what this means, don't you, Bennie?"

"Yes, I do, Paul. No ramen soup for us. Tonight we dine on actual food." Ben was a taller fellow, with large muscles and an equally large belly. His hair was jet black and he sometimes had a dull, but always cheerful look on his face.

"Aye, let's get to the store before it closes," Paul said gleefully. "O-oh, I can taste those burgers now."

"Burgers topped with delicious American cheese, with chips on the side and maybe even…" Bennie gasped. "Do you think we could even have a soda with our burgers?"

"I don't see why not?"

"I can't believe it!" Bennie squealed excitedly. "We're finally going to drink a soda. It's been so long, I've forgotten what they taste like."

Paul laughed at his friend. Neither had really forgotten, but that one poor decision was still costing them.

"Paul, do you think she'll actually call us up again? I liked working for her."

"Me, too. Y'know, Bennie, I got the feeling she just might look us up next time. Who knows? Maybe this will finally mean a good change in our fortunes?"

"I certainly hope so, I'm getting tired of living on the edge every day."

Paul sighed. "I know what you mean, buddy."

* * *

**Alright, Clank and Bobble are now in the story. Their names, Paul and Ben (Bennie) are derived from their voice actors Rob Paulson (Paul) and Jeff Bennett (Ben). **

**Vidia has now experienced the "wonders" of steel toe boots and the deliciousness of Gatorade. What else is in her future? Keep reading.**

**Feedback is always appreciated.**


	71. Chapter 71

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The evening sky had a turned a deep magenta as the sun had already dipped behind the horizon. The town was beautiful at this time of day. Not everyone could appreciate it, however. Claire and her two girls were dog tired after the hours of hard labor. While she would have preferred to let some else cook by stopping at Granny's for dinner, Claire could not afford it.

Instead, the three women went home. Mrs. Kensington put on a pot of water to boil. Then she tossed in salt for flavor followed by some pasta. In a pan she dumped a can of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, spices and seasonings. Tina still had much to study this evening, so with Valerie's help the two chopped onions, crushed garlic and sliced bell peppers and mushrooms.

"What are we making?" Val asked of her mother.

"Pasta and red sauce," Claire answered.

No meat was added. Not just to satisfy Valerie's sudden conversion to vegetarianism. It would have been easy enough for her to put some meatless sauce in a small pan just for Val. Instead, it was because Claire realized meat was quickly becoming a luxury in this house. In fact, many things that all three had taken for granted recently would likely become expendable luxuries in their home just to pay bills and keep food on the table. First on that list was cable television. Claire even considered selling the minivan.

_No, I can't_, she reasoned. _If the truck breaks down I'll have no other way to drive to jobs and complete contracts_. Customers needed someone they could count on to be there at the specified time on the specified day. Most people planned their schedules around such work, taking precious time off from their jobs to receive a contractor or service technician. Being unreliable was the proverbial death sentence.

Whatever her worries, it was a good meal. Even Valerie commented how much she enjoyed it asking for a second helping. Claire had hoped to preserve as much of it for tomorrow night, but seeing her Valerie work so hard today she gave her that extra serving. Claire was very proud of her eldest daughter. She didn't pout, talk back to her, avoid doing her job or try to leave early. Valerie worked as hard as anyone today and never once complained. As much as she wanted her old Valerie back, this aspect of "Vidia" was one that Claire liked.

**~O~**

Never before had Vidia so relished removing footwear. The steel toe shoes she was forced to wear at the job site were so painful no amount of coercion could make her keep them on her feet. As soon as they came off, she sat down and rubbed her tired and achy toes. When she donned the fuzzy slippers Vidia determined that they were the complete opposite of the work shoes. So soft and comfortable and pleasing to the skin.

Queen Clarion had asked Vidia to assist her in make evening meal. She did while wearing those soft and impossibly luscious shoes. It was like walking on a cloud.

"You know, when you were younger you had fuzzy, bunny rabbit slippers," Queen Clarion informed her. "In pink. They were so cute."

The flyer looked down at her slippers and tried to imagine bunnies on them. No matter what, it always conjured a rather disturbing image of rabbits mercilessly tied to the fur. The queen of the never fairies could never allow that to happen. It must be something else, Vidia told herself. Probably some strange human idea of animal inspired footwear.

**~O~**

After dinner, Vidia was told to go upstairs and get ready for tomorrow morning. "Make sure your clothes are in order and that you have all of your ID's ready," the queen instructed her.

"ID? What ID? And what clothes?"

Clarion smiled a weak smile, then kissed her gently on the forehead, something she seemed quite prone to doing as a human. "I'll show you when I'm finished here."

Vidia ascended the stairs and took a good shower to clean the accumulated dirt and sweat off of her. She noticed something that she had overlooked this morning. Her legs felt scratchy to the touch. She asked Tink what it meant.

"You need to shave your legs," was her reply.

"I need to what?"

"Shave your legs. Well, actually you prefer to wax your legs."

"Why?" Vidia asked her.

"To get rid of the hair," Tink explained. "That's why they feel so scratchy, hair is growing in and you need to remove it. You prefer to wax because you don't have to do it as often as shaving."

"Is this normal?"

"Uh, yeah, you've been doing it for years." Tink sounded rather perturbed. Maybe she was the wrong one to ask all these questions, but Vidia had one more.

"How do I do that?"

"Really? You don't remember? What, you never had to shave your legs in Fairy Hollow?"

"Pixie Hollow and no, we didn't. Hair never grew on our legs."

Tink looked momentarily dumbstruck by that statement. "Must be nice. Okay, let me show you. Beats doing homework."

**~O~**

Claire finished clearing the dishes and put them in dishwasher to get them clean. She slipped into the living room to kick off her shoes and sit down to relax for a moment before going upstairs and becoming a mom again. In her hand was a glass of wine. A small amount to help her calm down. Tomorrow would be especially stressful for everyone.

Seconds later, tonight became equally stressful.

"YEEEEAAAAAGGGGHHH!"

The blood curdling scream came from the upstairs. She ran up to find Valerie in her underwear standing in the hall and yelling at Tina. "What are you doing?! Do you know how much that hurts?!"

"It's going to hurt," Tina shot back, appearing surprised at what her sister was saying. "What? Did you think it would be easy?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Claire bellowed to be heard over the din. "Now what's going on here?"

Valerie pointed to her sister and yelled, "She's trying to rip my skin off!"

"She's lying," Tina screamed. "I was helping Val to wax her legs for tomorrow! And then she starts screaming like a banshee as if it's all my fault that it hurts so much. I told her it would hurt, but does she listen to me? No. She acts like this is her first time leg waxing. She's always waxed her legs. Why do I have to… to…, Mom, what are you doing?"

Claire had started banging her head against the wall to try relieve her stresses and frustrations. She then grabbed her hair, as if to pull it out by the roots before calming down and giving instructions. "Okay, Tina, go back to your room and keep studying. I'll help your sister with the waxing."

Tina shot a horrible look at Valerie and then stuck her tongue at her. "NGNYAAH!"

"Oh yeah, well…, NGNYAAH to you, too!" Valerie responded, sticking her tongue out at Tina.

"Okay, that's enough out of both you," Claire said to her girls. "Let's go inside."

"Do I really have to go through with this?" Valerie asked her.

"Yes, dear, we all do."

"Even you?"

Claire sighed. "Yes, sweetheart, even me."

"Why are we so special? Is it because we're fairies that we have hair on our legs?"

Claire thought that was a very strange question. "Uh, heh, no. Not just us, dear, everyone woman I know shaves or waxes their legs."

"Whoa! Why?"

"So we can look and feel good," Claire replied. Somehow that just didn't seem quite enough for Valerie who kept peppering her with questions, right up until…

**RRRRIIIPPP!**

"YYYEEEAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

**~O~**

After the brutal torture of leg waxing, Vidia was introduced to other places on her body that needed hair removal. Humiliating didn't _begin_ to describe it. The more she learned about female grooming rituals the more she hated being human.

When it was over, Queen Clarion, who still insisted on being called "Mom," helped Vidia prepare her clothing for the next morning. "You have to look good for the judge," she said. "It shows respect for the person and the office he or she holds."

Finally, something Vidia understood. A business suit and skirt, dark panty hose, heels and a matching purse completed the ensemble. "Why the purse?"

"To carry your identification," Clarion answered. Vidia was shown a ladies wallet. It belonged to Valerie. Inside were several cards with writing and pictures on them. One was a driver's license. "It means you can legally operate a vehicle, like my truck." There was a white and blue card with the words Social Security and a long number that was divided into groups of three, two and four. The explanation for Social Security was harder for Vidia to understand. Something else identified a bank and account number where her money was held, along with a credit card and finally a wallet sized high school diploma.

All of this was held in the wallet along with a few bills of money. This was placed in the purse which was set down on her desk. "You're all set for tomorrow, sweetie," the queen told her. "Anything else?"

"Uh…, yeah. What is going to happen tomorrow?"

The queen explained that formal charges were to be read to her and the lawyers would enter a plea, then bail would be set.

"Bail?"

"How much money it will take to let you out of jail until the hearing."

"But I'm not in jail," Vidia answered.

"Oh, honey, you're under house arrest, remember? Deputy Swan intended it to be like being in jail until the arraignment. Then I'll have to come up with the money, somehow, to keep you at home."

"Well, can't you get someone to help?" she asked the queen. "Someone like the Deputy or Lord Milori?"

"Lord who?"

"Lord Milori. Uh…, Hartley…,"

"Hartley Winter? No, I can't ask him. I don't want Hartley to think I'm taking advantage of his generosity. I like him too much for that, but maybe Deputy Swan can provide some tips. I'll give her a call."

Vidia watched as Queen Clarion picked up some device, pushed a few buttons and waited. Then she spoke into it. She paused, as if waiting for someone to respond, but Vidia heard no sounds coming from it. At least not at first. When she strained, a tiny voice could be heard emanating from the object. She couldn't make out what was being said, but it sounded familiar. Deputy Swan perhaps. Then suddenly, her queen started speaking into it again.

She was reminded of the small device that was used at the hospital in the same way. Phones they were called. Vidia needed to learn how to recognize every form of a phone and how to use them. She would no longer have to rely on others to summon a person she needed. Just another in a long list of technologies that she had to understand to function properly in this new world of humans.

Queen Clarion put down the phone and told her that Emma would be at court tomorrow to offer any support and testimony she could.

"But don't worry, Dr. Whale's deposition will be included and Dr. Hopper agreed to appear at the arraignment."

Vidia smiled. "Thanks."

Vidia felt a little better. Finally, she was able to manipulate at least a few variables to her own favor.

**~O~**

Claire finished the wine she had poured earlier. She was so afraid for herself and her precious girls. Paul and Ben were object lessons against crossing Regina. The mayor's wrath could be swift and final. The two young men lived well as city employees. But when they had a little too much to drink that night and ultimately caused damage to some very expensive construction equipment their lives were turned upside down.

City jobs paid enough for them to live in a nice two bedroom apartment. Now they were forced into a one room efficiency and had to live in much closer quarters. It was a good thing that Paul and Ben were such good friends. It made surviving their fall from grace that much less difficult.

As a mother, Claire's anxieties were more intense. If she lost Valerie to a jail cell in another city, she might not see her again for months or years. Knowing Regina, who had always accused her of being a poor mother, she might also push to have Tina taken away as well. That stigma would also mean losing her city contract and being unable to find meaningful work or employment. The house would be lost to Mr. Gold and Claire would find herself living on the streets begging for money and food or standing with the other day laborers, hoping someone would be kind enough hire her for some work. Everything in her life that meant anything to her would be gone. Most importantly, her two girls.

This was a most extreme situation and in all likelihood could never happen, but it didn't stop the nervous mother from thinking about it. Regina wasn't one to offer leniency. In response to her imaginary worst case scenario, Claire removed a dusty book from a bookshelf. She wiped it clean wit a rag and opened it. This was a photo album. She flipped through the pages, reliving her life and the lives of her two beautiful girls.

Claire just hoped that these precious memories wouldn't be all that was left of her family after tomorrow. She had hoped to see Tina graduate high school and go on to college at M.I.T. and become a highly successful electrical engineer. Claire wanted Valerie to get her life back together and find her purpose. Or at the very least to learn this business so she could take it over when Claire eventually retired. She wanted grandchildren who would play at her feet the way Val and later Tina did when they were wee babes.

Claire clutched the photo album to her chest and wept. She wept so much that Claire cried herself to sleep.

* * *

**Poor Vidia and poor Claire. You just have to feel sorry for both of them. **

**The arraignment is in the next chapter with some stunning surprises. I hope you enjoyed this one. Thanks for reading.  
**


	72. Chapter 72

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The morning of the arraignment began most uneventfully in the Kensington household. Tina willingly yielded the shared bathroom to her sister again. Breakfast was a bit smaller than yesterday, but still satisfying. Valerie needed help putting on her panty hose, the ankle tracker was getting in the way.

Tina wanted to accompany her sister to the courthouse to support Valerie, but ultimately she was dropped off at school. Claire wanted her to secure her own future so that no matter what happened today, Tina could survive and thrive on her own if she had to.

**~O~**

Vidia had some trouble walking in the heels. She wasn't accustomed to wearing these kinds of shoes. Fairy shoes were always ballet like, flat on the bottom. She stumbled more than once walking in them, but thankfully never fell. After all the work she had put into wearing this ridiculous dress the last thing she wanted was to ruin it before court even started.

In the room, among the spectators was Mayor Mills. No doubt here to see her handiwork play out, Vidia thought. It didn't take a problem solving talent fairy to know it was Regina who had been manipulating all of this. She had the authority in this town and most certainly the desire to accomplish her goal.

Another man, very well dressed with long hair and walking with a cane to aid his hobbled foot was also among those in attendance. The queen pointed him out as Mr. Gold, the man who held Clarion in such panic. "He is the one you owe money to?"

"Yes, he is," Clarion replied. "Mr. Gold is a stickler for contracts and will hold you to every detail so long as it is in his favor."

Vidia made it a point to memorize his face.

Emma Swan arrived and wished them good luck. "I'll be here to offer any help I can," she told them.

Right behind was Dr. Archie Hopper, the nice man who psychoanalyzed Vidia at the hospital. He asked a lot of questions, but was the only person to not make her feel judged. In fact, he had been very sensitive to her needs, showing her the city from the upper floor, then letting out to play with the dragonflies and waterfowl at the pond. It was like he could read her mind.

The gallery filled up quickly. Although this wasn't a major news event, there were always several who liked watching court proceedings. Some had a fascination with the law. Some were considering a future in law. Some were just bored and needed something to do.

Sitting across from the defendants was the prosecution team led by the town's notoriously implacable District Attorney, Albert Spencer. Spencer was a tall, older man with an intense gaze that personified his relentless court tactics and insane attention to detail. Rob and Jeff slumped in their chairs apparently knowing just how badly outclassed they were. Had the prosecution been led by anyone else, the pair might have been able to hold their own, but against Albert Spencer they knew their case was lost.

The bailiff announced the judge overseeing the case. "Please rise for the honorable Judge Keller Bonaventure."

When the judge entered the room Vidia was stunned. "Fairy Kelly!" she told Queen Clarion. "What's he doing here?"

Fairy Kelly, the sparrow man who replaced Fairy Morrison as the overseer of the fast flying guild. The some man who welcomed the return of Swift and Festus and then tried to drive Vidia out her own guild so they could overthrow the queen.

The queen shushed her. The judge banged his gavel. "The defense will keep their client in order or she will be held in contempt of this court!" Bonaventure barked. "Is that understood?"

Rob and Jeff, the court appointed defense attorneys representing Valerie Kensington nodded their understanding and instructed Vidia to remain silent.

"You may be seated," the judged instructed the court.

"Please be quiet," Clarion quietly told Vidia. "He'll lock you up in jail for sure."

"So long, little fairy," the mayor whispered to her from the seat behind Vidia. "There is no way out of this."

"Uh…, ahem. I'm sorry, Mayor. Ma- may we proceed?" Judge Bonaventure asked timidly. Regina nodded and sat back in her seat. A pleased, almost smug grin on her face.

Any hope Vidia held evaporated in an instant. Regina had played her hand well. Better than even Vidia had anticipated. She would be forever separated from her queen and Tinker Bell. And they would be fated to live as humans with no memories of their true selves for the rest of their lives. However long, or short, that may be.

**~O~**

The prosecution read the charges against Valerie Kensington and asked for a substantial bail of no less than $500,000. Spencer then added, "The prosecution also insists that Ms. Kensington be _properly_ jailed as a flight risk."

The defense attorneys managed to remain calm and professional, not once revealing their utter incompetence…, for all of five seconds. Rob stood and presented the defense's position. "Your honor, the defense pleads that my client is mentally incompetent to stand trial. And that she be released into the care of her mother until…"

"Until what?" Spencer broke in. "Until she recovers her mind and can then stand prosecution? Your honor, Ms. Kensington was in her right mind while in the commission of a crime. Further, it is the prosecution's stand that she is still in her right mind and is attempting to dupe this court to avoid jail time for her actions."

In short order the DA brought forth depositions and evidence from numerous witnesses that showed Valerie Kensington as openly disrespectful of authority and regularly attempted to avoid her responsibilities. "Multiple witnesses attest that she has engaged in illegal gambling at The Rabbit Hole on numerous occasions. She has openly defied her own mother in public and did not perform adequately in her place of employment. Further, Ms. Kensington held our beloved and departed Sheriff Graham in disdain merely for executing his job as law enforcement officer. Additionally, Valerie was planning on abandoning her mother and sister to leave Storybrooke with her boyfriend Kyle Lindwurm to pursue a career in air racing."

Valerie leaned over to her mother and quietly asked, "Who is Kyle? He isn't my boyfriend."

"You were leaving to do air racing?" Claire replied, looking pained at this revelation.

District Attorney Albert Spencer continued without pause, his voice loud and forceful. "Lastly, on the night in question Valerie Kensington left her home in a moment of pique, drove her motorcycle at extreme speeds, led Deputy Swan on a high speed car chase, recklessly placed innocent civilians in danger before finally sliding off the road and into the woods where her motorcycle was wrecked."

Spencer paused for effect. "Valerie Kensington has repeatedly demonstrated her unwillingness to obey the law, disdains all authority figures and cannot take responsibility for her own actions. This little trick of hers is merely another attempt to avoid her responsibility to this town and its residents. Your honor, she cannot be allowed to remain free under what Deputy Swan laughably calls 'house arrest.' She must be locked away as a flight risk."

**~O~**

Claire felt her heart sink, then break. Everything the district attorney said was true. For several years Valerie had disobeyed her whether in the privacy of her own home or in public. Valerie was going to jail. First here in Storybrooke, then somewhere else.

**~O~**

Rob and Jeff continued with their defense. "Your honor, Valerie Kensington is not herself. The accident which wrecked the motorcycle has also caused Ms. Kensington significant mental and psychological trauma and has left her in a mentally incapacitated state. Valerie believes she is someone else. She has no memory of herself."

"Amnesia is not a suitable defense, counselor," the judge told Rob in a dismissive tone, clearly misconstruing what was said as if on purpose.

"This isn't amnesia," Jeff clarified.

DA Spencer jumped in with more. "Your honor, Valerie Kensington claims to be a character from a children's movie. There can be no greater proof of her willful desire to avoid prosecution."

"She suffers from an identity disorder," Rob rebutted. "MRI scans of her brain show a significant change in her brain patterns revealing a -."

"Do you have those MRI Scans?" Judge Bonaventure asked, blatantly interrupting the defense attorney.

"No. The hospital's computers were hacked and sensitive patient data was destroyed. You know that."

"If they have no proof then the defense's assertion is without merit," Spencer argued.

"Agreed," the judge answered. "The pretrial hearing scheduled for Monday will proceed on schedule."

Then Rob had an idea. "Your honor, we ask for a proper psychological evaluation which will take four months."

"Don't you presume to tell me how to do my job, counselor," the judge replied loudly. "I know how long it takes. And without this so called 'evidence' there is no grounds for such an extensive examination!"

"Both Dr. Hopper and Dr. Whale are willing to testify to the-"

"Testify that any physical evidence of her mental defect does not exist?" Bonaventure answered.

"They are respected members of the medical community," Rob replied. "They were both witness to the MRI scans and can attest to their findings."

"I want more proof than just medical opinion, counselor," Bonaventure told him. The judge was obviously hindering the two defense attorneys. When Valerie looked over her shoulder, the mayor was grinning ear to ear.

"Then we request a continuance until such evidence is available to us," Jeff spoke up.

"And do what, counselor? Hold this court in recess for months or years? What if that evidence is never recovered?" The judge was furious with this request. His brow was furrowed and his tone condescending and insulting. Clearly he had no respect for these two men who anchored the defense. "No such luck, counselor! The hearing for Monday is on schedule, the defendant will be taken to jail and bail will be set at $500,000."

"Your honor, in light that this is her first offense, the defense requests that bail be set at the minimum," Rob asked firmly.

"Her first _recorded_ offense," the judge rebuked harshly. "Just because she hasn't been arrested before doesn't mean Ms. Kensington hasn't broken the law before. The D.A. has been quite thorough detailing several accounts of her flouting of the laws of this fine town."

"You are violating her eighth amendment constitutional rights protecting her from excessive bail," Jeff shot back. "You cannot set bail for what is not on record. She has no previous arrests or convictions. As far as this court is concerned, this is her first criminal offense."

Judge Bonaventure had lifted his gavel and was about to dismiss court when he heard this. He stood up, leaned forward and in a booming and hostile voice screamed, "This is my courtroom! Not yours! I can do whatever the hell I want! Bail is set at $500,000 whether you like it or not! And one more peep out of either of you and you will both be held in contempt of this court! Dismissed!"

Bonaventure banged the gavel so hard it broke. He then stormed from the room, his black robe billowing out around him as he did.

Claire stood, looking to Rob and Jeff, tears flowed from her eyes. "How could you let him do that? I can't afford five hundred thousand dollars. Only Mr. Gold or the mayor could pay that much money." She turned to her oldest daughter, who appeared out of sorts.

"What happened? What's going on?" Valerie asked. Two men in uniforms came up from behind her and grabbed the young woman by her arms. They pulled them behind her and locked cuffs on her wrists. "Where are they taking me? What is going on? Someone tell me what is happening to me?" Valerie yelled, seemingly unable to comprehend. She tried to struggle against the two bailiffs who were taking her to the Sheriff's police cruiser. "Stop! You can't do this! I'm not who you think I am! Let me go! Your Highness. Queen Clarion, help!"

"Don't fight them, Valerie!" Claire instructed. "Just do as they say and I'll find some way to get you out."

Claire was lying, she knew that. There was no way she could afford such an excessive bail. Everything in her world was falling apart before her very eyes and there was absolutely nothing she could do to prevent it.

Emma Swan walked up to Claire. She took the frightened mothers hands in her own and said, "This isn't their fault, Mrs. Kensington. That judge is in Regina's hip pocket. I can't prove it, but I have never seen any judge act so unethically from the bench. As deputy I'll do whatever I can for you and Valerie."

"Thank you, Emma, but when the mayor has a town under her thumb the way Regina does, I don't know if anyone can fight back."

* * *

**So who will come to Vidia's rescue? Stay tuned to find out.**


	73. Chapter 73

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire stared down the two defense attorneys. "What good are you? Valerie has been a model daughter ever since waking up after the accident and you made no mention of it to the judge. She worked hard last night without a single note of discontent and you said nothing. Valerie even thinks others in Storybrooke are fairies, but all I heard was silence. In fact, the only thing you accomplished today was to antagonize the judge. Why are you even in the law practice?"

Before the two men could say a word, D.A. Spencer answered for them. "Because they know like I do that your daughter is a criminal and a menace. Nothing she has done in the past few days is going to change a lifetime of defying the law."

"She is not a menace or a criminal!" Claire yelled. "Valerie was upset that night."

"That doesn't excuse her bad judgment," Spencer replied. "Driving at those speeds on slick streets at night through residential areas constitutes reckless endangerment of innocent civilians."

"Well actually, she was the only rider on the motorcycle," Jeff replied. "The only person she was putting directly in harm's way was herself."

Claire was stunned by this revelation. "Where was that bit of information during the arraignment?!"

"Don't let these two confuse the issue, Mrs. Kensington," Spencer said. "At those speeds her motorcycle had the potential to crash through a home and seriously injure or kill a person in their home."

"Well, so does a car driving at thirty miles an hour," Jeff replied. "Dirt offers less traction than asphalt and mud even less."

"Now you're reaching," Spencer told them. "What you are discussing is a highly improbably scenario."

"We've seen you prosecute individuals using that same highly improbably standard," Rob answered back.

Mrs. Kensington was livid with her defense team. This information should have been aired out in the arraignment, not afterwards. "How dare you call yourselves lawyers," she fumed. "You two were scared out of your minds not ten minutes ago, now you suddenly have a spine?"

"It's not their fault, Mrs. Kensington," Spencer said. "Like most attorneys in this town, they are intimidated by me. It causes…, performance issues. Now if you will excuse me, I have a hearing to prepare for." Spencer grabbed his briefcase and walked out of the courtroom, his legal team right behind him.

When Claire looked into the faces of the two men who were supposed to be defending her she indeed saw that very fear. She also saw the remorse they felt for being so inadequate to the task.

"We're sorry," one of them said. "He just rattles us every time."

"I don't what to hear it," she told them. "You are supposed to be hardened professionals, not frightened amateurs." Claire stared straight out into space. Her mind trying desperately to comprehend how she might be able to get Valerie out of this. Finally, she came up with a first step. "You're fired. Now please go away."

"But who is going to defend Valerie at the hearing on Monday?"

"Well it is the start of the Christmas season, maybe Santa Clause will show up and leave a competent lawyer under my tree," she answered curtly.

The two men left her alone to file the last of their paperwork for the arraignment, which included a plea of unable to stand trial by reason of mental incapacity.

**~O~**

Claire exited the courtroom. She noticed that Hartley never arrived for the arraignment. _Maybe he was busy_, she told herself. As soon as she opened the door to the outside, though, Claire was immediately beset by Sydney Glass.

"How does this reflect on your abilities as a mother?" he asked her in a loud and shrill voice. Clearly he was trying to indict her in the court of public opinion. "Were you at all responsible for Valerie's accident? Should Tina consider herself safe in your care?"

"Go away, Sydney," Emma told him, brushing reporter away from Claire.

"You're interfering with freedom of the press Ms. Swan," he replied pompously.

"The press is supposed to report the news, not invent it," Emma responded sharply. "Why don't you get a job with _The National Enquirer_?"

"Well that's not very nice," he muttered to himself.

Emma ignored him and escorted Claire to her truck. "Meet me at the sheriff's station. I'm taking Valerie there right now."

**~O~**

Vidia was beside herself in disbelief. This was the second time someone tried to set her up. The second time someone tried to drive her out of her home. And the second time it seemed as if they would succeed. Her first instinct was to withdraw into herself, just as she had done before.

Her only glimmer of hope was that Never Fairies stuck together. Particularly Tinker Bell and her friends, a group which Vidia was lucky enough to be a part of. But this was not their world and no one from Pixie Hollow she had met remembered her or themselves. She wondered if under those circumstances their little group would come to each others aid.

Lord Milori most certainly had done so, coming to the aide of and falling in love with Queen Clarion all over again. With no further proof, however, Vidia didn't know if that was an isolated event or if the others from her little clique would render aid to one of their own even without their memories intact.

That one sliver of hope was so faint, but it was all she had. Unfortunately, Regina's power over this city was far reaching and the flyer was left wondering if anyone she knew could overcome that influence. This knowledge left her feeling battered and almost defeated. She would have to wait and see how events unfolded, but until then the future of the Never Fairies in this human world seemed bleak.

For now, Vidia was powerless do anything more about it.

**~O~**

Regina pulled up along with the police cruiser. She had come to gloat, measuring her words in front of Deputy Swan. She began by saying she felt sorry for the poor girl before claiming that it was ultimately all her fault and that she got what she deserved. Emma, though, saw through that thin veil and remarked how unethical the judge had been. "Is he indebted to you for his job? Is that how you got him to be so biased?"

"You watch yourself, Ms. Swan," the mayor answered. "Play with fire and you'll get burned."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise," Regina growled in reply.

"Excuse me, Deputy?" Claire arrived and received an earful from the mayor as Regina was about to leave the stationhouse. "I told you I would throw her ass in jail the next time she violated the law. This is all your fault for not being a better parent."

She was about to say something more when Emma cut in with her response. "Really, Madame Mayor? Is that why you keep trying to convince your own son he's crazy?"

"Don't you dare bring Henry into this," Regina shot back angrily. "He is my son and I know best what is good for him."

"Does that make you an authority on what is best for Claire and Valerie?"

Regina's eyes narrowed. Answer yes and she would look like a vicious tyrant blatantly imposing her will on the populace of Storybrooke. Answer no and she could make no claim whatsoever that Claire was a bad parent and possibly take away any chance of filing for state custody of Tina.

Once again, Regina was careful when choosing her words. "Valerie has a history as a troublemaker. That kind of behavior tends to start at home."

The qualifier "tends to start at home" allowed Regina to indirectly insult Claire's abilities as a parent without incriminating herself.

Claire said nothing in response. She just stared helplessly at Emma.

"Good day, Deputy Swan," Regina said as she stormed out of the station, snubbing Claire by not acknowledging her on the way out.

**~O~**

When Regina was gone Emma told Claire, "Go ahead and talk to her. She looks like she could use a few comforting words."

The widowed mother stepped up to the jail cell holding her daughter. Emma pulled up a chair for her.

"I'm so sorry," Claire told her eldest. "If I were a better mother we…, you wouldn't be in this predicament. There wouldn't be any money problems and I could afford a good lawyer."

"It's not your fault," Valerie answered dejectedly. "Someone took us from our home in Pixie Hollow and put us here. If that had not happened, none of this would matter. Whoever did this to us is the only one at fault."

Claire sighed. Valerie was still clinging to that delusion. She put her arm through the bars, taking Valerie's hand into her own and holding it tight. A show of mother / daughter solidarity. "I'm sorry, your highness," Valerie answered. "I won't be able to find out who did this to us. To bring back our memories."

Claire tried to smile, "Call me, Mom."

After a short pause, Valerie called her "Mom." Claire pulled her girl to the bars and tried to give her a reassuring hug. No matter how desperate she felt, Claire wasn't going to leave letting Valerie feeling that way.

Then Claire heard a familiar voice. One that made her stomach clench every time.

"I would like to speak with the prisoner," Mr. Gold requested of Deputy Swan.

"What for?" she asked in return.

"It relates to my investigation into the hospital cyber-attack," he answered.

Emma paused, but reluctantly acquiesced. "Okay, but I'll be right here listening."

"As you wish, Ms. Swan," Gold answered proceeding to Valerie's cell.

"What do you want with my little girl?" Claire asked. Her heart racing with fear as he approached, yet she refused to stand aside for this man. Gold may control many things in this town, but love for her daughter was not one of them.

"Nothing to your detriment, I assure you," Gold replied. "And best of all, it won't cost you a cent."

"I find that hard to believe. Everything with you comes at a price," Claire said adamantly.

"Indeed it does. Lucky for you, you're not the one who will be paying it."

"It's okay. I'll talk to him," Valerie said from her jail cell. Claire turned, her eyes full of confusion at her daughter's willingness to speak him.

"You don't know this man the way I do, Valerie," the mother counseled. "He twists words and turns them against you. He'll apply vague or sharp definitions when it is to his advantage or your disadvantage."

Valerie looked over Mr. Gold, sizing him up. She looked back at her mother and said, "I don't really care anymore."

Claire turned to face Mr. Gold. "She is my baby, don't you dare-."

"As odd as it sounds, Mrs. Kensington, I empathize with you."

**~O~**

Mr. Gold stepped right up to the bars and looked over the twenty four year old girl, sizing her up just as she had done to him moments earlier. The young woman was nicely dressed. He remembered Valerie always having a fierce will. Today it seemed almost broken. Almost, but not quite, her sharp tongue was still intact.

"So you're the infamous Mr. Gold," Valerie began almost flippantly. "Now why would anyone be afraid of the likes of you?"

"People like to borrow money, but they dislike paying it back. They forget that everything has a price. Speaking of which, your defense team was most inadequate. That's what you get for putting yourself in the hands of court appointed representation. As they say, you get what you pay for."

Valerie replied with, "They should have paid us for that travesty."

Gold smiled before continuing his interrogation. "You recognized the judge, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't."

"You're a bad liar," he told her. "I heard you call him Fairy Kelly. Now who is that?"

"Someone I don't like."

"I see. Someone from your past?"

"You could say that."

"What did he do to you to engender such anger?" Gold asked her.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," Valerie answered. "No one here seems to believe anything I tell them."

"Very well, then. Let's start with who you are. Or rather, who you think you are," Mr. Gold said. "I heard what the defense lawyers told the judge. You believe yourself to be a fairy tale character."

"I'm no fairy tale."

"Well then who are you?"

Valerie was silent, hesitant to answer this question.

"Oh you can tell me," Mr. Gold prodded. "I think you'll find that I have a surprisingly open mind about such things."

Her facial expressions and body language revealed her lack of trust. "We owe you money," she said. "Why should I tell you anything?"

Mr. Gold drew in close to the bars, close enough so he could whisper to her, "Let's just say, dearie, that I have an interest in your future."

"Alright, _sweetie_, here goes," she answered. "My name is Vidia. I am a fast flying fairy. A true rare talent. I live in Pixie Hollow on the island of Never Land. That woman who claims to be my mother is in fact Queen Clarion, ruler of the Never Fairies. My 'sister' is Tinker Bell. Satisfied."

"Not quite. Tell me more about this Never Land of yours."

Mr. Gold and Valerie, or Vidia as she preferred, spoke for several minutes. Their conversation touched on many details of Never Land, Pixie Hollow and its history, fairies, their talents and guilds. She even revealed the names of the other fairies she had already met here in Storybrooke.

"Are there any others?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she answered. "I haven't had much time to look for them."

Understandable. Then their conversation turned to Peter Pan.

"How do you know about Peter?" she asked him curiously.

"He is a popular figure among the children here," Mr. Gold replied. "A book and play were written about him. Did you know that in early drafts, Peter kidnapped children from their families and brought them to Never Land? Children who felt lost or abandoned even in their own homes? That must be a terrible fear for a parent, to lose a child." He turned to Claire and asked, "Wouldn't you agree, Mrs. Kensington?"

Claire and Valerie's eyes met. There was a distinct look of pain in the mother's pupils. "My apologies," Gold told her, acknowledging the difficult the situation the family was in while simultaneously adding to their desperation.

Valerie then returned to the conversation at hand. "I've never heard of this Barrie fellow, but that's not the Peter Pan I've heard of" the flyer answered. "He is no more than an irresponsible and self-serving child who only lives for his next great adventure."

"And what of his Lost Boys?" Mr. Gold continued. "Do they follow him? Does he thin out their ranks when they get too numerous or too old?"

"You'll have to ask Tinker Bell or Rosetta. They were the ones who accompanied Peter on his crazy adventures. From what Rosetta tells me The Lost Boys were always the same small band of kids and they were loyal to Peter. Always fighting pirates, especially Captain Hook."

Mr. Gold very nearly bristled at that name, but kept his emotions and body language in check. Or so he thought.

"Have you heard of him?" Valerie asked, turning the tables a bit on her interrogator.

"He is mentioned in the stories," Gold answered. "Tell me, how did he get his hook?"

"Everyone knows that story," she answered. "It was a childish prank. Peter cut off his hand and fed it to Crocky."

"I beg your pardon?"

"That's the name Rosetta gave to the baby crocodile when it hatched." Valerie relayed the adventures she, Tinker Bell and their friends had in recovering the blue pixie dust from Zarina and James, who later became Captain Hook. "The crocodile swallowed a ticking clock during our siege of his ship."

"I'm sure he was quite angry with you for stealing his precious dust," Mr. Gold correctly surmised. "Did he ever seek revenge? Find your home in Pixie Hollow?"

"He tried, but never did. No human has ever found our world without the aid of a fairy."

There was a clue in her answer that Gold pounced upon. "So, someone did find your hidden world."

"The Griffiths," Valerie answered expanding on it to Mr. Gold's satisfaction.

"Anyone else," he asked her point blank. "British officers? Or maybe pirates."

Valerie took a deep breath. "Only once a very long time ago. Centuries before I arrived pirates captured a fairy and forced her to reveal our world. They killed hundreds of a fairies, cut down The Home Tree and took Pixie Hollow's entire treasury."

"Before you arrived? Where did you live before?"

Vidia told him how fairies came into the world, going all the way back to the very first laugh of the very first baby.

"Can I assume the queen is born in a more traditional way?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"This fairy society you describe sounds quite familiar," Gold asked her. "Not unlike an insect hive where only the queen can bear young while the drones are sterile."

"Queens can choose a mate and have children," she answered him. "They are the only ones among us who can."

"I see. So are they still alive? Your queen's parents?"

"They perished a long time ago."

"What were their names?"

"What does this have anything to do with your investigation?" Claire asked Mr. Gold. "How are fairy tales going to help you find who erased those hospital files?"

"That is of no concern of yours," Gold answered sharply. "However, I can tell you that a good liar speaks in vague terms making it harder to catch them in their lie. Your daughter has been most specific. As they say, the devil is in the details." The pawn broker returned his attention to the girl behind bars. "Now, then, what were their names."

"Queen Clarus and Prince Devon," Valerie answered.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation," he said. Then he left the stationhouse.

**~O~**

Mr. Gold did not immediately return to his pawn shop. Instead he paid a visit to the local video store. He approached the young blonde woman who was tending the store. She was not pleased to see him.

"I made my payment this month," she greeted him defensively.

"I'm here to ask you for a favor," Gold told her. The woman's name was Lydia, the owner of the video store and a former lawyer who left the law practice to pursue her dream in the theater. Small roles were all that she could find right now. Until she could realize her vision as a star of the stage, Lydia borrowed money from Mr. Gold to buy and run the local video store. It allowed her the opportunity to make a living while studying the great performances.

"Wait, let me get this straight," she asked, utterly incredulous. "You want to ask me for a favor? What's in it for you?"

"That doesn't concern you," Mr. Gold replied. "What should is that I'm willing to forgive one fourth of your debt to me for this favor."

"Tell me what you want first before I agree to anything," she countered.

"I want you represent a girl in court," Mr. Gold explained. He gave her the gory details of the charges and the arraignment proceedings.

"Law is no longer who I am," she said.

"Law is always who you will be," he replied. "You were the very best until you chose to leave."

"Exactly. I _chose_ to leave, not forced out."

"Very well, I'm sure I won't mind owning this video store," he rambled as he turned to leave.

"I own this store, not you," she replied.

"Not for long, dearie. I've seen your books, income is in decline as online services steal your customers," Mr. Gold expounded. "You'll be out of business before your debt to me is paid."

Lydia was obviously incensed. "You'll forgive all of it," was her counter offer.

"Oh, I can't do that, dearie. I can forgive…, one third."

She considered his offer. "Three fourths."

"Half, and no more," Gold countered.

"Deal. Who am I representing?"

"A young woman named Valerie Kensington."

* * *

**Lydia is Lyria, the performing talent from Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. Looks like Santa Clause did indeed pay an early visit.**


	74. Chapter 74

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia had fallen asleep in her jail cell. She had no one to talk to or keep her company. As much as Clarion hated to do it, she was forced to leave and proceed to the Town Hall and continue work. She was going to rehire those same two young men she had employed yesterday. "You made a good call, sweetheart," she told Vidia. "Don't worry, I'll find some way of getting you out this mess."

It was a lie, but a lie with the good intention of trying to keep hope aflame. But the fast flyer turned human was losing hope with each passing minute. The conversation with Mr. Gold was confusing and irrational. For a while Vidia thought he might know of her Never Land, but how could anyone from this land know? He said it was found in a book and a play. That made no sense since Dr. Griffiths and Lizzy had pledged their silence. She chose not to admit her confusion to Emma, even if she was on her side.

Lunch was provided by the Sheriff. It was a simple grilled cheese sandwich, a bag of chips and unsweetened iced tea. It suited Vidia fine since she wasn't interested in eating very much. With nothing more to do after the midday meal, she nodded off.

While sleeping she dreamt of far off places and old memories.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid Georgian Period on the Mainland)

"Hello, Vidia," she called out.

Vidia grumbled. She hated this little imp tagging along. "What do you want, Wisp?" It was a pointless question, Vidia knew exactly what Wisp wanted of her.

"Let's race," Wisp said excitedly.

"NO!"

"What's wrong, afraid I'll win?"

Ever since Wisp had arrived she was always sporting for race after race against Vidia. Wisp's talent glow was virtually equal to Vidia's and the little fast flying newcomer went to great pains to tell everyone who would listen to her. Especially if Vidia was in earshot.

"I'm as fast as any flyer in the guild," she would boast. "Probably even faster."

Vidia wanted no part of her now. The two had raced several times before and they always ended in a tie. Wisp was a nuisance and she was reckless beyond all reason. Then in the last race Wisp came in a very close second. Afterwards Vidia decided to put an end to the endless races because they weren't fun anymore. As far as Vidia was concerned Wisp had been shown up as second best.

"I already won, remember? Now go away!" Vidia blustered.

"Humph! Sounds like someone can't prove her only win wasn't a fluke," Wisp deftly answered.

"Hey, we raced, you lost, I won, and that's it!" Vidia was more than annoyed with this young interloper. No one was faster than her and no one was more talented than her. It had been decades since being cast out of the fast flying guild by those traitors Swift, Festus and Kelly. After their insurrection had been found out and put down for good, Vidia was invited back into the guild, but the long train of abuses from those three left her unwilling and unable to trust anyone. All she had left was her status as the most talented fairy of any guild.

For Wisp to wrestle that crown from her was to leave her with nothing. Vidia would be left an empty shell of her former self. Once confident and capable she was now cocky and abrasive, ready to push away anyone who tried to be a friend. Wisp was the opposite, almost a mirror image of Vidia. Except where Vidia learned to turn inward and hide from the rest of the fairy community, Wisp was as outgoing as they came, ready to chatter with any person unlucky enough to give her moment's bit of attention.

Wisp was something else that Vidia hated. Competitive beyond belief. Most fairies were competitive to some degree or another, but Vidia and Wisp were two of a kind. Ready to push the envelope to prove how much better they were than anyone else. Wisp, though, took it to insane extremes. The little blonde flyer could stupidly lose her own life trying to prove how great she was. Vidia knew, however that being smart, not reckless, was what made one great.

"Oka-ay," Wisp replied, "but as long as there are questions surrounding our last race no one is going to believe that you're the fastest flyer in all of Pixie Hollow." Vidia didn't respond to Wisp's needling so she poured it on. "Or are you afraid that you really aren't the most talented pixie in the land?"

"Alright, that's it! The Kessel Run, ever heard of it?"

"What flyer hasn't? It's the most difficult and demanding race ever devised by fairies," Wisp needlessly explained. "The Minister of Spring wants it banned because it is so dangerous."

"Oh please, he's just a big blowhard," Vidia replied. "Now that I think about it, so are you."

"Put your wings where mouth is," Wisp answered. "Ready to do this?"

"Anytime, dearie."

"Good let's do it now!"

Vidia couldn't believe it. Not only had she let Wisp bait her into another race, but the most dangerous race in all of Pixie Hollow. The one race Vidia swore she would never fly describing it as only for idiots with nothing to prove but how idiotic they were. _I guess that makes me the idiot_, she fumed.

Flyers and fairies alike were stunned to hear that Vidia had agreed to fly the Kessel Run, a race that circled Never Land and involved complicated stunt flying including a flight through a thick forest that some referred to as Death Row. That stretch earned its unfortunate moniker when a young fast flyer broke his neck trying to navigate it.

The twists and turns in Death Row were so tight and required such supreme agility, alertness, focus and body control that no flyer wanted to plow through it at full speed. No one except the unfortunate soul who lost his life and Wisp, who had been practicing the Kessel Run in her off hours so she could challenge Vidia when she felt ready.

The racing path was marked by brightly colored gates that each fairy had to fly through. Knocking one over or bypassing one did not count and the contestant had to either go back and lose time or take a deduction. Judges kept up with the contestants and watched for any missed gates or illegal activity.

When the actual competition began it attracted the attention of not only the fast flying guild, but also members of other guilds and even Queen Clarion herself. The Kessel Run was flown often by many of the guilds, but only the fast flyers were ever fully challenged by its design. Their blazing speeds became a detriment in certain areas like Death Row, which was why so many came out to watch.

Vidia took the early lead and appeared to hold it steadily throughout the early parts of the race. The first difficult stretch, a series of vertical flights up and down the cliffs on the shoreline proved to be quite a bit of trouble for the fast flyers. Ascending the cliffs was easy, descending was a different story.

The object was to reach terminal velocity and hold it to the very last second before turning up from the rocks below. Essentially it was a game of chicken. The final gates of this section found on the rocks with waves crashing around them were usually the ones avoided most often by fairies and flyers alike. Deductions were common here. Neither Vidia nor Wisp wanted to pull up early and look cowardly so both plunged towards the waters below, barely squeaking through the rocks and gates just before they would have slammed into the water below.

Other stretches tested their endurance of high speed flying and body control as they had to perform complicated maneuvers through preset gates hanging high in the air before finally entering Death Row. Both Vidia and Wisp roared through the trees and branches, Wisp darted through and around all the twigs, leaves and tree trunks with a deftness of control that left everyone in awe. Everyone except Vidia who burned up with jealousy.

Vidia it seemed had missed several gates on the tightest turns. Gates Wisp hadn't missed. Vidia also suffered from several run-ins with leaves, twigs and more than once she clipped branches sending shrieks of pain shooting up her arms and legs. What truly burned up Vidia was that she wasn't holding back and Wisp was still pulling away. No matter what she did the plum haired flyer couldn't maintain control or dart with the same precision as her inferior competition. Furious, Vidia unleashed her pent up anger into more speed than she ever thought possible. It was a poor decision. While Wisp exited the forest unscathed, Vidia crashed into branches and twigs before tumbling onto the ground below.

Wisp was celebrated as the greatest fast flyer and the most talented fairy in all of Pixie Hollow. Vidia burned. She was determined to get that title back.

Every time Vidia practiced the Kessel Run she tried to fly through Death Row at full speed and never completed it without incident. She would clip her wings on leaves and branches or bang into tree trunks sending her out of the air. When that didn't happen Vidia found she simply could not hold sharp turns tight enough and would end up flying around the marked gates rather than through them.

The stress got to her. For weeks, Vidia practiced the Death Row stretch of The Kessel Run, but she was no closer to navigating that portion of the run as Wisp. She wondered how, exactly, she did it. Wisp would only say, "I'm just better than you."

Vidia knew the little newcomer wasn't any better than her, but without the ability to beat Wisp in a rematch she would always be regarded as second best. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years and no matter how hard she tried, Vidia could never the gain advantage she sought. Eventually, she was at wits end, losing virtually all hope of proving herself superior to Wisp once and for all.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Wake up, Valerie," Emma's voice told her. "You have a visitor."

"Hunh?" Vidia woke up to see a familiar face staring back at her. "Tinker Bell?"

"Hi, Sis," she said trying to sound cheerful. "And its Tina, remember?"

Vidia wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Right. What are you doing here?"

"School's out, Val," she said. "I got an 'A' on my history test. Isn't that great?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. So how long have I been asleep?" Vidia spied the clock on the wall. It was nearly seven in the evening. Talking with Emma was the queen. In Clarion's hands was a bag which smelled of food.

"I brought dinner for my girl," she said to the deputy. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Emma opened the door to the jail cell and allowed all the three women to sit at an empty desk and eat together. Locked away in strange and colorful boxes were sandwiches made of a cheese spread called pimento, salad with Italian dressing which Vidia should have enjoyed more, but couldn't, fruit slices and bottles of water. There was also hot peach cobbler, the scent which Vidia had caught earlier. The cobbler was from Granny's, the only part of the meal that wasn't homemade.

While eating their dinner, a redheaded woman entered the room. Vidia recognized her instantly. "Rosetta!"

The redhead stopped in her tracks. "Oh! Does she still think she is someone else?"

Emma nodded. "What can I help you with?" the deputy asked the garden fairy turned television host.

"I'm here to pay this young girl's bail," Rosetta said. "She deserves to be at home with her family."

Queen Clarion was grateful for the assistance, but she insisted she could not afford to pay her back. Rosetta explained that it was the least she could do after that fiasco with the iPad.

Vidia could not believe her own ears. Why was Queen Clarion turning down Rosetta's assistance? Then there was Rosetta's eye patch. That was what she said, wasn't it?

"What about the eye patch?" Vidia asked Tinker Bell.

"Not eye patch, iPad," Tink replied.

"Oh! What's that?"

"It's a tablet computer."

"Oh. What's a table computer?"

"It's a small, hand held computer that you operate by sliding your finger across the screen."

Vidia's utterly confused look made Tink stop and sigh. "Never mind. I'll explain later."

**~O~**

"The bail is set at half a million dollars," Emma told Desiree. "That's a pretty big favor."

Desiree, the host of Storybrooke's most watched morning show, certainly had the money. A brief explanation revealed that she felt badly after accusing Claire of stealing the iPad which was later found in Desiree's car. The fallout of the newspaper articles that followed the accusations cost Claire a number of good paying jobs, including the home renovation that was her biggest contract.

This meant a great deal of lost income and potential income for the Kensington family. Desiree had been looking for a way to make it up to Mrs. Kensington and this was the perfect opportunity.

"Oh this is too much, Ms. Collingsworth," Claire answered. She needed the help, but would have felt indebted to the woman for paying such a large bail amount. Even if the amount of lost income exceeded the half million dollar bail.

"Don't say another word," Desiree replied. "I'm bailing your girl out and I won't take no for answer."

"I'm afraid you'll have to," another voice broke in. "At least for tonight."

Valerie stood up from her seat. "Lyria? You're here too?"

The slender blonde woman approached Claire and properly introduced herself. "My name is Lydia Van Buren and with your permission, Mrs. Kensington, I want to be your lawyer."

"I can't…, I can't afford a proper lawyer," Claire answered.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Kensington," Lydia replied. "I'll be working pro bono."

* * *

**The next chapter brings us even more twists and takes us closer to the hearing.**

**Note: The Kessel Run is a reference to the original STAR WARS (1977). Han Solo boasts that the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run "in under twelve parsecs."**


	75. Chapter 75

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

From Vidia's perspective, she had just met another of her kind here in this town. Lyria, the best of the performing talent fairies, was standing just a few feet from her. Like all the others Vidia met, she did not immediately recognize her or anyone else. It was just like they were ordinary people meeting for the first time. Vidia should have known better by now, but she was still surprised each time it happened.

Yesterday evening she kept referring to Paul and Ben as Clank and Bobble even though neither one recognized their own name. The performing talent didn't respond to Vidia, either. Instead she continued her conversation with Queen Clarion and Deputy Emma Swan. Meanwhile, Rosetta listened intently wondering why she couldn't offer her assistance right away.

**~O~**

"Why can't I bail out this poor child?" Desiree asked, confused with the request. "She deserves to be home with her mother and sister."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Lydia Van Buren replied, "but save your money. I think I can get her bail lowered substantially."

"How can you do that?" Claire wondered. "The arraignment…?"

The arraignment had been a farce, Lydia knew that. Judge Bonaventure was in Regina's hip pocket. He owed his position on the bench to her and he did whatever she wanted. So much so, in fact, that Van Buren had kept a laundry list of judicial misconduct and bullying behavior, much of it at Regina's behest. She never acted upon this list before because no one had the intestinal fortitude to challenge the mayor. Until now.

"Wait a minute," Tina broke in suspiciously. "Aren't you the video store lady?"

"Indeed I am," Van Buren replied.

"Then what makes you qualified to be a lawyer?" Emma rightly questioned.

Lydia had to take a moment and explain her history. How overbearing parents forced her into law rather than the theater. "They don't call them starving artists for nothing" she was reminded every day. Upon graduating high school, Lydia's parents would only pay for college if she chose either law or medicine. Choosing law, Ms. Van Buren graduated at the top of her class, passed the bar exam on the first try and worked her way up as the very best defense attorney in Storybrooke.

However, the siren song of her first love, the theater, continued to pull at her. Her parents sensed this and suddenly introduced her to the man they had handpicked for her to marry. He was intelligent and wealthy, but also an arrogantly brutish sort whom Lydia understood was to keep her in line by any means possible.

With that being the last straw, Lydia quit law and enrolled in college again for a degree in theater arts. Unwilling to let Lydia have her way, the parents put forth an ultimatum. Do as they say or be disowned. Without a moments reflection she chose disownment and struck out on her own leaving behind her family's name, influence and money. The video store was her means of maintaining a livable income until regular parts in theater productions came her way.

"My ex-family kept telling me their only intent was so I could be happy like them. They think they're happy, but they are not. You can see it in their eyes," Lydia told them. "They marry for strategic social climbing rather than love and choose careers solely for money and status rather than pursuing what brings them fulfillment. I chose different so I was cast out."

"Oh you poor thing," Desiree commented. "What do they think this is? The twelfth century?"

"Apparently so," Lydia agreed. "But I can tell you this. I have never regretted my decision."

"So why did you agree to take my case?" Claire rightly questioned.

"My family abuses their power," Lydia answered. "Oppressing their own children no matter their age or intellectual capability. Everything they do is about maintaining their status and influence in Storybrooke from one generation to the next. It's tyrannical and oppressive. I see that same abuse in Mayor Mills. I want to fight back."

"Okay, with that out of the way, what's your cunning plan?" Emma asked.

Judge Bonaventure needed to be investigated for his abuse of power from the bench. Unfortunately, Storybrooke was such a small town that the bureaucracy was equally small and some individuals pulled doubled duty. In the case of the justice system, there were only a handful of judges and Bonaventure was Regina's handpicked head of the internal affairs department. She used him to bully the others into doing what she needed of them.

However, should the head of internal affairs come under scrutiny himself, then according to the town charter any investigation became the responsibility of the town's chief law enforcement officer, the sheriff. Or acting sheriff. Deputy Emma Swan.

"Graham was under Regina's influence during his tenure," Lydia expounded. "However, with his death you are now the town's sole law enforcement officer. You become the lead investigator on such matters."

"How does this help Valerie?" Claire asked.

Once an official investigation was opened, Judge Bonaventure would be forced to recuse himself from any court case in which he was involved. Including the one for Valerie Kensington. As soon as that happened a new judge would be assigned immediately. Lydia would then ask for a meeting to get Valerie's bail lowered to a more reasonable level.

"Deputy, when you filed charges against Valerie Kensington, you listed reckless endangerment as a misdemeanor, not a federal charge," Lydia observed. "That's a huge difference. I'll argue that the bail is excessive for the charges listed and the new judge should agree. Also, I'll try and get the charge of resisting arrest dropped since at time of capture Valerie was in no condition to resist her arrest."

"What about the District Attorney?" Claire asked. "Albert Spencer scared the living daylights out of the two attorneys who were representing me before."

"Spencer doesn't scare me," Lydia answered confidently. "I'm one of the few lawyers in town he can't intimidate and he knows it. Every time I enter the same room with him the very first words out of his mouth are something belittling. It's an obvious tell that he can't beat me in a fair fight."

"Ms. Van Buren, you're hired," Claire announced happily.

Van Buren and Claire Kensington shook hands sealing their agreement. Immediately afterwards Lydia handed off a very thick stack of papers to Deputy Swan. These were a record of every abuse of power and judicial misconduct on the part of Judge Bonaventure. "This should be enough to open that investigation tomorrow morning. Let me know as soon as you have done so. I'll want to talk with the new judge."

"Regina won't be happy about this," Emma replied knowingly. "She'll fight it every step of the way."

"It won't matter," Lydia responded. "Once the investigation is open it can't be closed except by the investigating officer. Even if Mayor Mills could postpone the investigation indefinitely Judge Bonaventure wouldn't be able to resume his duties. He would become a lame duck judge until you closed the books on him."

"What if she tries to postpone the hearing?" Claire asked.

"She can't. It's on the docket. If she tries I'll remind her of Valerie's constitutional right to a speedy trial. To try and flout the rules so brazenly would be to reveal her true colors."

"It sounds like you have this all planned out," Emma commented to the young woman.

"I've been planning this in my head for years," Lydia replied. "I just never thought I would get the chance to actually do it. I'm excited."

"Wait, wait, wait," Valerie chimed in. "Does this mean I have to spend the night here?"

"I'm afraid so, dear," Claire answered her. "But don't worry, you'll be out tomorrow. Isn't that right?"

Desiree nodded. "I'll have you out of this place in two shakes of a lamb's tail," the chirpy TV host said.

"Two shakes of a…? What does that even mean?" Valerie asked.

"I'll be quick about it," Desiree answered rather drolly.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid Georgian Period on the Mainland)

Word had spread throughout the mainland that one of her colonies across the great waters was in revolt and had taken up arms against the mother country. Although hardly a concern to the Never Fairies of Pixie Hollow, they nonetheless had to work in greater secrecy as human troops wearing red colored coats mobilized for deployment to what had once been called The New World.

Wisp took great pleasure in zipping about just at the very periphery of the human houses where troops marched down the main street to go to war.

"What are you doing?" Vidia asked irately. "You're going to get us caught."

"Ha! So says the second best fast flyer in Pixie Hollow," Wisp said in rebuke. "A true rare talent like myself doesn't have to worry. They will never see me. Now a slowpoke like you _would_ give us away."

"Slowpoke?! Why you little imp! I ought to…"

"Ought to what? Bump into more branches while in flight? Maybe you'll see better without all those leaves pasted across your face." Wisp laughed at her own caustic remarks. She was truly enjoying making Vidia the butt of her jokes.

Vidia burned from the inside. Despite years of trying she still could not finish the row of trees that were part of The Kessel Run.

Wisp celebrated being the number one fast flyer by darting around the chimneys and in front of open windows. Down below, columns of humans marched toward ships moored in port, one of which was named the _HMS Cerberus_. Their destination was Boston, Massachusetts where they were to reinforce troops who were withstanding a growing siege by rebel armies under the commands of Generals Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold and Artemis Ward.

"STOP!" Vidia shouted to her. "THE HUMANS ARE GOING TO SEE US!"

The blonde flyer refused to listen and shot across the street high above the red clad army. "Woohoo!" Wisp yelled at the top of her lungs. "I'm too fast for you and too fast for these clumsy humans." To prove her point, Wisp shot down to street level and zipped left and right and around showing just how fast she was. Vidia had no choice, but to fetch her before she was seen.

Vidia couldn't find her. It was like she was a ghost. Then she heard Wisp yell, "Yoohoo!" Vidia looked across the street and saw her quarry sitting in a tricorn hat worn by one of the marching soldiers. Vidia darted across the street to capture Wisp and bring her back to Pixie Hollow. When she got to the hat it was unoccupied.

"Can't catch me!" Wisp yelled from behind a street lamp. Again Vidia shot through the air to the new hiding place to find nothing.

"Hey!" Wisp flew into one of the stores forcing Vidia to follow again. "Told ya! They never saw me!"

"You! Are! Crazy!" Vidia shouted at the top of her lungs. "Do you want to get caught? Do you want those humans landing on Never Land and tromping through our home?"

"You worry too much, Vids," Wisp said. She had taken to calling Vidia "Vids" for no other reason than it annoyed the dark haired flyer to no end.

"It's Vidia, Vi! Dee! Ya! What is so hard about my name?"

"Watch this, Vids." Wisp started shooting back and forth in the window, lighting it up. None of the men in the marching columns took notice, but one of the officers on horseback watching over them did and dismounted to take a look inside.

"Oh no! Now you've done it. HIDE!" Vidia shouted.

"Pfft! Not a chance, this clumsy human can't see past his own nose," Wisp answered as she alighted on a shelf where Vidia had taken cover. One second later, the door opened as the officer entered the store to locate the flittering light he had seen. Wisp was instantly paralyzed by fear. Before the human could catch a good look at Wisp, something pulled her away. It was Vidia who had yanked her behind a cast iron grill that was hanging from the next shelf up.

The officer searched the store looking behind and under pots, pans, plates, tankards and other items for sale. When he came to the shelving where Vidia and Wisp were hiding, Wisp started to panic. Her wings fluttered and her glow illuminated their hiding spot. "Stop that," Vidia ordered. "He is going to see us!"

The human moved closer to their position, so Vidia grabbed Wisp by the arm and took her to another hiding place behind a large and ornate stein. Wisp was still panicking and her glow was about to give them away, which made her panic even more. Vidia tried to calm her down, but Wisp was whimpering and whining, glowing brighter as she trembled, her mind overwhelmed by fear.

To put a stop to it Vidia tackled the youngster to the floor, pinning the girl and immobilizing her wings. Vidia then put her hands over the little fairy's mouth and whispered, "Be quiet!"

The cast iron grill was pulled aside as the officer searched the shelf behind it. Unable to see the human, Vidia remained motionless while keeping Wisp from twitching her wings. Even the slightest glow would be a dead giveaway at this proximity. The human's hand pulled out random objects from the shelf as he looked behind them. A goblet directly in front of them slid off the shelf. Vidia's heart stopped, along with her breathing.

The goblet was put back. Then Vidia heard and saw the stein they were hiding behind begin to slide off the shelf. She knew this was it, they were going to be found out. The young officer removed the tankard and swept the shelf with his gaze, finding nothing. He put back the stein and continued to search the shelf. Vidia had managed to grasp the ornate elements of the tankard, a family crest in high-relief, and held on tight, bringing Wisp along with her.

The two fairies had to wait for nearly another minute or two before the persistent human gave up and returned to the march outside. As soon as the door closed, Vidia exhaled and then inhaled deeply. "I thought (gasp) he would never (gasp) leave."

Wisp stretched out her wings, creating a fairy's signature glow.

"Stop that!" Vidia yelled. "That's what got us in trouble in the first place."

Vidia forcibly dragged Wisp back to Pixie Hollow where Queen Clarion was most disappointed with the young flyer upon hearing about the incident. The fairy queen reiterated the importance of remaining hidden from view from the humans. To help the young one reflect on her error, the queen handed down a punishment restricting Wisp to Never Land for one full year. A penalty which annoyed youngster. She wanted nothing more than the freedom to have fun wherever she could find it.

"Well, I hope you learned your lesson" Vidia told the younger fast flyer. "Maybe next time you'll be careful and stay out of sight."

"You are enjoying this aren't you, Vids? Well let me tell you something. I might be stuck here for one year, but my punishment will eventually come to an end. You on the other hand will always be second best. And there is no time limit on that!"

This statement struck Vidia like a knife in the heart. She took a swipe at Wisp who bolted off laughing at the brunette flyer. "Couldn't catch me then, can't catch now. So long, slowpoke."

Vidia, so infuriated by Wisp's statement, let out a primal scream that sent doves flying and squirrels scampering for cover. More than ever she wanted to put that little brat in her place, but until she could successfully navigate the trees of The Kessel Run it was mission impossible.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The next morning when the courthouse opened Deputy Emma Swan filed a formal complaint against Judge Bonaventure and began an official investigation. As soon as it was filed she contacted Lydia Van Buren who demanded that Bonaventure recuse himself from all court cases. The judge exploded with anger and threatened to run Lydia out of the law practice. Moments after Van Buren left his office Bonaventure called Mayor Mills to inform her what had been done.

"Let me take care of this," she replied. Soon the mayor was at the station house having words with Emma Swan. "How dare you open an investigation against one of the town's most esteemed judges without my permission?"

"I don't need your permission, only just cause of which I have plenty," Emma replied, showing her the thick stack of papers detailing every abuse of power and act of judicial misconduct committed by Bonaventure over the years. Deputy Swan also detailed the articles of the town charter which put her in charge of the investigation.

"You're still trying to defend this little criminal? This menace to our pleasant township?" the mayor asked while pointing to Valerie. "Well go ahead. But when this trial is over and that repeat offender is safely behind bars I'll have your badge. And it will be you who loses her job for official misconduct, Deputy Swan, not Judge Bonaventure."

"Do your worst, Madame Mayor. That girl is in no condition to stand trial and you know it," Emma answered defiantly. "I'm well aware of the threats you made against her and her family, so we will see who loses their job."

"It's her word against mine, Deputy," Regina told Emma. "And no one is going to believe an angry young woman with mommy issues. Good day, Ms. Swan. Enjoy the badge. You won't be wearing it much longer." Regina stormed out of the sheriff's station, a grimly determined look plastered on her face.

**~O~**

More than an hour had passed since Emma had received a phone call offering a hot lead on who made the cyber-attack against the hospital. Vidia had nothing to keep her company in her jail cell except for the wall clock.

One would think that silence would be quiet, but it wasn't. It was deafening. With no other sounds in the station house to get in the way, Vidia's ears picked up a piercing sound that grew louder and louder until it overwhelmed her. When she cupped her ears or made any sound, it instantly went away.

"What is that?" she asked herself at least twice. Her purgatory ended when she heard voices coming from the hallway outside. It was Queen Clarion raging in protest.

"How could you leave her all alone?" she yelled. "What if there was a fire? What if something happened and she couldn't get out?"

"We have a fire suppression system," Emma replied, her voice echoing through the hallway. "And what am I supposed to do? Stay here all day and all night long?"

The door opened and in came the fairy queen. She ran to the jail cell thrusting her arms through the bars, grabbing up Vidia into a warm and maternal embrace. "Oh, my little baby. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Vidia hated being referred to as a "little baby," even it was just a term of endearment. Despite her unvoiced protests Vidia reciprocated by wrapping her arms around the queen, relieved to see her arrive for what she hoped would be a quick exit from this dreary place.

Right behind were Rosetta, who said she had left the studio as soon as her show wrapped for the day, and Lyria, proclaiming a successful negotiation with the new judge.

"Judge Hale saw things my way," she said. "The charge of resisting arrest has been dropped and bail has been reduced to a mere $25,000."

"Oh, now that _does_ sound more reasonable," Rosetta said with a smile.

Deputy Swan did not accompany them. "She may have the hacker responsible for deleting all of that vital information at the hospital," Lyria said.

"Does this mean we're going to get Valerie's medical records back?" Clarion wanted to know.

"I'm not sure, you'll have to ask Deputy Swan," the performing talent answered.

"I hope she can," the queen said. "I just want this over with. And the sooner the better." She turned her attention back to the fast flyer. "Isn't this wonderful, sweetheart? I'm going to take you home. I bet the first thing you'll want to do is change out of those clothes and take a good shower."

"Actually, I could eat something first," Vidia answered.

Clarion smiled. "Of course. We'll whip up something once we get back to the house."

Vidia listened intently as Lyria conferred with Clarion and Rosetta. "That database has key information, but we can't stop working the problem. Valerie, I know you've been interviewed before, but I'll need to speak with you later. There are plenty of questions I still need to ask."

"Okay, sure."

"Ms. Collingsworth," she said, addressing Rosetta, "I know you've come here to make amends, but I'll need your further assistance, too."

Mayor Mills has asked Desiree not to talk about this case on television, expressing a desire to keep this out of the news. However, the morning edition of _The Daily Mirror_ was already running a story on the arraignment and upcoming hearing. "It paints Valerie in a most unfavorable light," Lyria explained. "That's not the worst of it. There is also a side story greatly stretching the truth nearly to the point of libel which all but indicts Mrs. Kensington as a terrible mother unfit to care for her own children."

"That awful Mr. Glass," Vidia heard Queen Clarion mumble. "He is the absolute worst journalist."

"Exactly. We can't let Regina and Sydney dominate the public forums," Lyria demanded. "Ms. Collingsworth, I need you to go on television tomorrow morning and give your firsthand accounts about Valerie. Your show is not a news outlet, but that gives you a unique position to talk frankly about this situation and offer commentary."

Rosetta was already nodding her head in approval.

"The newspaper's campaign of misinformation has to be countered with an emotional resonance," Lyria continued. "The public has to see Valerie and Claire as real human beings. Human beings who are suffering from a great tragedy. A mother has lost her daughter to psychological trauma and a family that has struggled against all odds to stay together since Claire's husband passed away. You cannot stress enough the painful losses Claire has suffered, Ms. Collingsworth. Break your audience's hearts so that no one would dare say a word against the Kensingtons."

"Of course I will," she agreed. "Anything to help this poor, hardworking family stay together."

"Thank you," Claire told her. "I appreciate this so much."

Lyria turned her attention to the queen. "Mrs. Kensington, I'll be spending a great deal of time at your house between now and the hearing. You, Valerie and I have a great deal to discuss in that short span of time. Monday is only supposed to be a hearing, but I wouldn't put it passed the District Attorney to hound you like it was a trial. We must go over strategies and tactics, likely questions Spencer will ask and what your responses MUST be to come out of that hearing in good standing. Albert will do everything he can to trip you up. Even the slightest misconception he can twist and turn and make it appear as if you are not telling the truth. Words must be precise to avoid his attempts to destroy you with them and you absolutely cannot contribute any more information then what is necessary."

"Understood," Clarion told her.

While all of this was going on Vidia could hear voices in the background. She was unable to see beyond her jail cell as all three women were gathered directly in front of her, blocking the view. Vidia recognized Emma Swan's voice. The other voice, also female, was quite familiar.

"I didn't do it," the familiar voice declared.

"Yeah, then why was the hospital's entire database on your home computers?" Deputy Swan asked.

"I have no idea, but I most certainly did not put it there," the voice protested. "It was probably the Black Hat. The one who hacked the hospital's network in the first place."

"Then how did he break into your home network?" Emma responded.

"I don't know," the voice replied. "My home network is extremely secure. It's better defended than any in Storybrooke, the hospital included."

"Look kid, you're not helping your case any," Emma Swan told her. "Everything you are telling me right now I will be duty and ethically bound to relay to the prosecution. Now I already read you your rights. My advice to you is to keep quiet until you can find a good lawyer."

The girl sighed. "Okay, okay."

Vidia was finally able to get a good look at the girl Deputy Swan was escorting. The door to the opposite jail cell swung open and the tiny slip of a girl with platinum blonde hair stepped inside. When she sat down her face came in full view. Vidia was horror stricken when she saw the other person, instantly recognizing her.

"Periwinkle!"

* * *

**As promised, one huge twist and a cliffhanger to boot. So how is Periwinkle and Vidia going to get out of this before the upcoming hearing? Stay tuned.**

**As always, thank you for reading. Your reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	76. Chapter 76

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia could not believe her eyes. Periwinkle was here in Storybrooke. She was about to point this out to someone, but thought better of it. Whenever she had recognized someone from Pixie Hollow everyone looked at her like she was crazy. Not this time. She kept to her own counsel this time. Instead, upon being let out of the jail cell, Vidia waited as Queen Clarion, Emma and Lyria began to confer. Then she walked over to the opposite cell and spoke directly to Tink's sister.

"Hey, what's your name?" she whispered.

"What's it to you?" the girl asked.

"Because you're Tink's sis-, uh, because I think you look like my sister," Vidia said, correcting herself mid-sentence. Way back when they first met in Butterfly Cove, Vidia had noticed how similar the two girls looked. "She is about as tall as you, blonde hair, blue eyes, likes to fix things."

"Tina? You're Tina's sister?"

"Yeah. So what's your name?"

"Penny. Penny Steveston."

"My name is Vi-, Valerie." Vidia spoke quickly asking her why she was in confinement. Penny told her she was trying to recover this lost files that had been erased from the hospital's NAS. She had been drilling through the heavy encryption and overwriting and was only a day away from getting to the data when Deputy Swan arrived claiming she had received an anonymous tip implicating her as the hacker who erased the data in the first place.

Then both went to Penny's house and somehow the hospital's entire database was found on her home network file storage system. At that moment Penny was arrested for the cyber-attack and for interfering with a police investigation. Hardly any of this made any bit of sense to Vidia, but she did her best to cope.

"So all these files were in your house?" she asked Periwinkle.

"Yeah, and I don't know how it got there," Peri answered. "My network is the best protected in the entire town."

"Uh…, maybe whoever put them there came in through the door?" Vidia suggested trying to be helpful.

"I don't see how, all of my doors have electronic passcode locks, not deadbolts. You need the combination to get in."

"Hey, you can't talk to the prisoner without my permission," Deputy Swan yelled.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Vidia said to the law enforcement officer. "Thanks," she whispered to Periwinkle, walking away from her.

**~O~**

During the conference, Deputy Swan indicated to Lydia the situation with Valerie. "Ever since the accident, Valerie thinks she is a fairy tale character from some movies about Tinker Bell," Swan told her.

Claire nodded. "She thinks I'm this regal fairy queen, her sister Tina is Tinker Bell and this man I'm seeing she believes is the Lord of the Winter Forest or something like that."

"And she keeps telling me I'm some kind of gardening fairy," Desiree added. "I don't do mud."

"I have the movies if you need to watch them for reference," Deputy Swan offered.

"It's okay," Lydia answered. "You probably got them from my store anyway. Now that I know what to look for I can do some research this afternoon."

Lydia then addressed Claire. "Has Valerie displayed any violent, anti-social or hostile behavior?"

"No. In fact she is the complete opposite of what she was before the accident," Claire replied. "Val…, well now she calls herself Vidia, Valerie has been a model daughter."

"Okay, thank you. I'll call you later to prepare for the hearing."

Claire thanked Desiree once again. "If you need any work done on your home-."

"Oh I'm the one who is paying you back," Desiree replied. "Think nothing of it."

Claire and Valerie left. From there they went home for a quick lunch and then on to the Town Hall to finish work alongside Paul and Ben.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid Georgian Period on the Mainland)

Wisp had no sense of restraint. Having fun and flying as fast as she could was all that mattered. Vidia may have been just as obsessed with speed, but at least she had the common sense to stay out of sight. She worried about the young fast flyer. Wisp was going to do something awfully stupid one of these days and get herself caught or hurt. It was something she tried repeatedly to impress upon the young protégé, but Wisp refused to listen. Instead she turned everything into a competition between her and Vidia.

"You're just mad because I'm better than you," Wisp would often say. Those words continually drove Vidia to prove her wrong. Now if only she could teach that loudmouthed imp a lesson, as well.

**~O~**

Leaves went flying before floating delicately back to the ground. Vidia had kicked the colorful orange and yellow leaves in frustration after another failed attempt to complete The Kessel Run. She yelled at the top of her lungs. "YEEAAAHHHHHGGGG! HOW DOES SHE DO IT?!"

"Hello?" a timid male voice asked. "Is someone there?"

"Go away!" Vidia yelled back. A large and dimwitted looking sparrow man in green descended from the air, alighting next to her. It was the tinker known as Clank. Vidia tugged on the hem of her short, form fitting dress. When she first arrived in Pixie Hollow, Vidia couldn't decide on a proper style of clothing for herself. She first wore a fluttery dress of the kind Rosetta wore, but found that it slowed her down at higher speeds. She had then decided to switch to a form fitting dress that helped her cut through the air with less drag. She liked it, but the hem was rather short and Vidia often had to tug downward on it when in the company of sparrow men. She wanted to be known as fast in the air, not in the other way.

"What do you want?"

"I heard you yell," Clank said. "I thought you might need assistance."

Vidia turned her back to him and crossed her arms. "Hmph, I don't need help from anyone. Especially a smelly Tinker."

"Smelly? I'm not smelly! I took a bath just this week."

Vidia just rolled her eyes at this dullard.

"If you have a problem, let me help. I am a tinker, after all. Solving problems is what I do."

"Can you help me finish The Kessel Run without crashing through Death Row?" she asked him derisively, knowing full well he couldn't possibly have an answer.

Clank stopped to think for a moment. He flew up to the branches and zipped through the gates, stopping to make each turn. Then he turned and looked back on the path he had taken and scratched his head thoughtfully.

Vidia waited impatiently for him to return. When he did, Clank squatted on the ground and looked at her legs. Then he reached out touched them with his big, dirty palms.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, you pervert?" she yelled at him.

"Are you still trying to beat Wisp?" he asked her.

"Yes. And how does that give you carte blanche to paw at my legs?"

"You should do what Wisp does," he announced standing upright again.

"GUGH! Do what she does?" Vidia asked, she was both confounded and insulted by his statement.

"Have you ever stopped to watch the birdies fly?" he asked in return.

Vidia looked totally perplexed now. This idiot wanted her to watch birds fly? He really was a dimwit. "No, why should I?" she replied arrogantly.

"Birdies have tail feathers, see?" he explained. "They give them lift and help them make hard turns." To illustrate his point, Clank bent over and twisted his bum left and right, up and down and all around. To Vidia he looked like the airheaded idiot she had always suspected. "It's how Wisp can outfly you up there in those trees."

"What?" Vidia was stunned by this news. "How? Where? I mean, I don't see any kind of rudder feathers on her anywhere?"

"It's the fern leaves she has wrapped around her legs," he illuminated. When in flight they would fan out, essentially acting as rudders like the tail feathers of a bird. Clank suggested she put the same things on her legs to match Wisp. "A little practice and you'll be a better fast flyer than she is."

Vidia was dumbstruck by his suggestion. She couldn't believe it. The answer had been right in front of her the whole time. Worse yet, Wisp was cheating. Well, two could play at that game. "Quick, let's go to the dressmaking fairies," Vidia announced. "I need your help making an outfit with those rudder things."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

After a quick bite to eat and a change of clothing, Vidia was back at the Town Hall with Clank and Bobble (Ben and Paul as they preferred to be called in this human world). Renovating the old structure was moving along quickly with the extra hands and Queen Clarion repeatedly complimented them on their quality of work. She also gratefully acknowledge Vidia for recommending them.

While removing more of the older structure, aged wiring was revealed underneath. According to Queen Clarion this was Knob and Tube electrical wiring. "It's old and outdated for modern use," she said. "We need to install ROMEX to bring this old building up to code. It is part of the contract I signed with the city."

"We can do that!" Bobble said excitedly.

"Yes, Paul here is an excellent electrician," Clank enthused.

The pair explained that Paul (Bobble) had been an electrician's apprentice who worked directly under the city's licensed Master Electrician before the drinking incident. Bennie (Clank) was certified on heavy equipment as well as on forklifts. Both had already shown they were excellent at construction.

"It's how we got started," Bobble admitted. "We both took construction jobs with city and eventually worked our way up. We used the city's compensation program to learn new skills."

"Once we install this new wiring, you just need a Master Electrician to review the work and make sure it is up to city code," Clank added.

"And I know_ that_ like the back of me hand," Bobble said putting up his hand to illustrate his point.

"Okay, what do you need?" Clarion replied, sounding quite relieved.

Vidia hit upon something. The word electricity and electronics seemed very similar. She pulled aside Clank and asked if he knew anything about electronic door locks that don't use keys.

"Of course," he answered. "Paul here installed one on a home for little girl who lived all alone. Sad really, parents never understood her."

"Quick, do you remember who that girl was?" she asked him.

Unfortunately, Clank refused to offer that information claiming customer privacy. It didn't matter, that was enough for Vidia. "How do those work?" she asked him. Electronic locks with numeric keypads use a number code rather than a physical key. The one Paul installed was one of the very best and was extremely difficult to defeat.

"What would be the easiest way to break into a home with that kind of lock?" she asked.

"Break a window?"

"I mean through the door! With that lock!"

"Well, you would need the number code programmed into it, but no one would be dumb enough to give it away. It would defeat the purpose of having one."

But what if someone watched it from far away? Vidia asked herself. Maybe with a spyglass? Suddenly, she had an idea how someone might have gotten into Periwinkle's home. Vidia demanded that Queen Clarion take her to Deputy Swan.

"What? You want to go back to the Sheriff's station? Sweetie, we need to keep on schedule or I'll get fired," the queen answered. "We all will."

"Well, how do I talk to her on that phone thing from the house?" Vidia asked.

Clarion removed a small device, handing it to her. "Here."

"What do I do with this?"

Clarion sighed, apparently remembering that Vidia did not recall how to use these devices. She took the thing away from her, opened it, pressed some buttons and handed it back. Vidia just stood there looking at it, utterly perplexed.

"Put this end up to your ear and the other near your mouth," Clarion helpfully advised, pointing to the top and bottom of the tiny phone.

Vidia did as instructed. There was a ringing sound, then Deputy Swan's voice said, "Hello?"

"Deputy, it wasn't Periwinkle's fault. Someone watched her push the buttons to get into her house. Clank and Bobble told me how they did it!"

"Valerie, not now I'm busy!" Emma replied sharply.

**~O~**

She wouldn't stop. Valerie kept talking and did so frantically. It was a long winded explanation, using nonsense names like Clank, Bobble and Periwinkle, but eventually she got around to her point. That someone must have been watching from afar when Periwinkle was pushing numbers on her door.

Emma was at Penny Steveston's home. The deputy had trouble believing that somebody somehow just happened to know that Penny was responsible and just happened to call the Sheriff's Office when it was at the most convenient time. Right before the hearing. Despite all of this, Emma was not receptive to Valerie's wild eyed delusions. At least not until she saw something that clicked with her.

Deputy Swan was searching Penny's house looking for how someone might have gained entry into the little girl's home. Every outer door was solid core with no windows and had an electronic passcode lock. Each window had security bars and the shades were drawn to prevent anyone from seeing inside. While speaking with Valerie, an exasperated Emma Swan put her hand to her face and cocked her head up, letting out a big sigh. She was about to tell the delusional young woman to leave her alone when she spied a darkened bubble hanging from the ceiling of the front porch.

The bubble, which housed a security camera, was hanging just over the main entrance. No doubt this was for security purposes, but it gave Emma an idea. One that Valerie had hinted at. The camera was positioned to watch the street, front yard and porch. But it could easily be turned to view the front door and keypad. This was the modern version of Valerie's spyglass.

After learning which company provided the security services for Penny's home, Emma drove to the business site and demanded to see the their video logs for that house. A review showed that several hours of footage had been deleted. "Where is your computer specialist?" she demanded.

In a windowless room, isolated from everyone else was a skinny man in his mid-thirties. He was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a pair of Crocs and was as pale as can be. He was typing on multiple keyboards, muttering computer jargon to himself. Her entrance went unnoticed by the computer nerd. Before saying anything, Emma took in her environment, noting the servers, wires and multiple computer systems in the room.

She also saw a laptop on his desk. On the laptop screen was a computer desktop, but it struck Emma as strange because the background wallpaper had the hospital's logo, just like all of their computers and servers did. Deputy Swan wasn't a computer expert by any means, but she knew enough to know he was using software to monitor the servers at the hospital.

"Ahem!" she said, getting his attention. She flashed her badge.

"Oh crap!" He bolted out the door, knocking her over and taking his laptop with him.

"STOP!" she shouted. Emma was quick to her feet and gave pursuit. The scrawny nerd pushed over or aside everyone who got in his way. He proceeded to turn over anything that could slow Emma down. It hardly worked as Deputy Swan hurdled or bypassed all the obstacles he put into her path.

"FREEZE!" she yelled again. "YOU'RE UNDER ARREST."

Her suspect was out the front door and running down the sidewalk. For a scrawny and pale little nerd he was fast. Emma didn't let up, racing out the door and staying on his heels. He glanced over his shoulder and saw her. Surprised at how close she was, he picked up speed while keeping his eyes on her. The man ran passed the corner of the building and into the street.

"Stop!" she yelled again. "You're going into a-." _SCREEEEE! THUMP!_

It was too late. A large delivery truck for the local cannery had slammed into him. The driver jumped out and ran to the man's crumpled body. "I'm sorry. I didn't see him," the driver pleaded with Emma. He was panicky and rambled. "He just shot out into the street. He wasn't even looking!"

"It's okay. I know, I know."

Emma called in an ambulance, but her suspect was dead before the EMT's arrived. About the only bit of solace Emma Swan could take from this was that the little girl she had arrested earlier that day was innocent. Now she had to get Penny back to the hospital and hope she could unearth those files in time for the hearing. Valerie's future hinged on those digital MRI files.

* * *

**Okay, we are now getting much closer to the hearing and episode 8. The next chapter is going to bring a whole bunch of awesome. Thanks for reading and as always, your reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	77. Chapter 77

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The laptop was worthless, Emma's suspect was only using it to monitor the hospital's servers and spy on Penny. The cell phone was just as worthless, his call history had been deleted and the flash memory erased. Emma's USB recover tool was no help. Almost. The only thing she had to go on was a final text message which had been programmed in to send when he pressed certain keys. The message was simple: "911."

With little time to spare, Emma collected Penny from the Sheriff's Station and looked up the phone number the text message was sent to, finding a physical address. The pair arrived at the house to find it abandoned. Fresh tire marks in the driveway revealed that someone had just left and in quite a hurry. Once inside, Penny tried to recover any data from suspect's many computers.

"It's no use; he fragged all of his systems," Penny concluded. Indeed, nearby were degaussing magnets which the other person in the house must have used to wipe the hard drives and all the computer equipment. It effectively rendered everything into giant doorstops. The "911" text must have been to alert the other person in the house to destroy all evidence.

"Whoever they were, they planned ahead," Emma surmised.

"Black Hats usually do," Penny answered. "The best ones always have an exit strategy."

"So which one was the hacker?"

"The dead one," Penny replied. "I think the other person who lived here knew just enough to wipe the computers."

"What makes you think that?"

"Only one chair in the computer room. If they were working together there would be two chairs."

It made sense. With no other choice Emma took Penny back to the hospital so she could continue her work trying to recover all the lost information. The database that had been uploaded to Penny's home network was several days old and did not contain Valerie's MRI scans. This omission piqued Emma's interest. Why not the latest database? The answer was a simple one, to implicate the one person who could recover that critical information and prevent those scans from being used at the hearing.

Whoever did this knew exactly what to excise. There was no doubt in Emma's mind that it was Regina. She had threatened Valerie and was determined to see her behind bars. Unfortunately with no evidence trail tying her to the cyber-attack, it was all just so much speculation.

**~O~**

As soon as Penny returned to the server room she noticed that all of her utilities had been shut down. "What happened," the slim blonde asked, horrified.

Allen, speculating that she was trying to interfere with the recovery, chose to exit all of her utilities and work on his own.

"NO! He was monitoring us." Penny restarted all of her utilities. Her worst fears were realized. The encryption had fully regenerated, no doubt as soon as her custom recovery utilities were closed. She had to start all over again. Days of work had been wasted.

Penny knew that if she were to break through this new encryption and drill through all the layers of overwriting she was going to have to do something huge. Something awesome. Something that was pretty much illegal.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid-Georgian Period on the Mainland)

"Leggings," the dressmaking talent fairy said, showing Vidia what she had made.

"Leggings?" Vidia asked. They were form fitting trousers with the barbs of a feather sewn onto the sides of each leg. A blouse with a high collar accompanied the leggings. Suddenly it was as if her world made perfect sense. This was the clothing style that fit who she was. Vidia had always been at a loss for what she wanted to wear. First the flower dress, then the form fitting one. Neither one felt just right. However, as soon as she donned the new clothing Vidia felt comfortable in her own skin.

Her aggressive and often abrasive personality had sometimes been described as "tomboyish" by some in her own guild. A few even compared her to that new animal fairy that arrived a few years ago named Fawn. Vidia wasn't quite that bad, but she certainly wasn't the girly girl type. Leggings were the perfect compromise between Rosetta's frilly dresses and Fawn's boyish trousers.

There was just one thing missing. "Can you incorporate all of my guild feathers?"

"Of course," the dressmaking talent replied with a genuine smile. Within an hour all of her hard earned purple feathers were added to the ensemble. Attached to a belt that loosely hugged her waist, they stuck out from the bottom of the vest, flaring out a bit essentially extending the blouse without getting in the way.

"I love it!" she declared. She had found her signature style. Vidia now felt like she could take on the world…, Wisp included.

**~O~**

Taking advice from the dressmaker Vidia spent some time practicing with the new gear to get used to them. "They will alter your flying," the dressmaking talent informed her. "I suggest lots of practice."

Normally Vidia would have put the dressmaker in her place, except that she was absolutely right. Fairies didn't need to practice using their wings because that was as natural as breathing. This was gear, an add-on that wasn't part of their talent toolbox. To use them properly meant a skill that had to be learned.

Practice, though wasn't as easy as Vidia had hoped. The "rudders" as she called them, so significantly altered her flying that she fell out of the sky nearly every time that first week. It was more infuriating than failing at The Kessel Run. "That stupid dressmaker, these things don't work."

Vidia burst into fits of angry shouting. When she couldn't sustain it anymore she stopped and flopped on her back, exhausted. While imagining how satisfying it would be to strangle that fat tinker until his eyes popped out, birds flew overheard. At first she didn't notice, a big smile was on her face. In her mind, Clank was gasping for his last breath before passing out.

Then she remembered. Birds. She flew up to watch them while they were airborne. At first, they seemed to be making a few large adjustments with their tail feathers and wings. However, upon closer inspection Vidia noticed that in fact every bird was making many tiny adjustments. Dozens every minute to accommodate for changes in the wind, their position, speed, angle, acceleration, ascent, descent and several other factors.

"So that is how they do it," Vidia told herself. She returned to her practice taking with her what she had learned. This time there was rapid progress.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Distributed computing. Basically, using the processors from different computers to work together towards a single goal, with each processor assigned certain tasks to perform while updated information was shared over a network to all participating systems. Perhaps the most famous example is SETI Home (SETI at Home). An Internet-based public volunteer computing project which utilizes the BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) software platform.

Users voluntarily download the software on their home computers where it would "borrow" unused processor cycles to analyze data, thus giving SETI access to more computing power than could be cost effectively stuffed into a single location. The operations carried out by the software are invisible to the user and do not slow down the computer in the slightest.

Penny Steveston had been doing that on a small scale before her arrest. Her friends on the internet allowed her to tap into their processor resources to break the encryption and dig through the layers of pseudorandom numbers that buried the database files. When there was time to be slow, the use of a few thousand computers was enough.

That had changed. All of her work had been undone by a single command. With limited time left a few thousand CPU's wasn't going to get the job done before the hearing started on Monday morning. She needed to go bigger. Much bigger.

With the help of her online friends, she hacked into the computer systems used by Storybrooke's schools, town offices and hospital. She had now had access to about ten thousand processors, each capable of delivering plenty of raw processing power to the math heavy decryption software. Unfortunately, it was _still_ not enough. Not within the limited time available to her.

"I have to go bigger than this." She expanded her hack to include all the home computers and laptops in Storybrooke. The processing power being levied against the encryption had grown to more to more than one hundred thousand CPUs strong, including desktop, laptops, graphics processors and game systems. The encryption would probably fold by Monday, Tuesday at the latest. The layers of pseudorandom numbers she had to dig through would still stand in her way.

She sighed. It was getting late. Penny had gotten precious little sleep since she began this project and this time all the Red Bulls in the world wouldn't keep her awake through the weekend. She had to break through everything in only a couple of days, but going beyond Storybrooke could be dangerous.

"It has to be done," she told herself. Penny sent out messages to all of her online pals. "Time to hack the world."

The responses she received were highly enthusiastic. "Yeah." "It's about time." "I've always wanted to try this," were the most common.

It was going to take some time. When a home computer is connected directly to a cable or DSL modem that system is essentially live on the internet. Anti-Virus software removes a virus after the computer has been infected. Sort of like taking an antibiotic when you get sick.

Software firewalls can block inbound and outbound internet traffic from the computer, but they function within the operating system. Meaning that by the time software firewall has detected the possible intrusion it is already inside the operating system where it can do harm.

A more effective way to secure a computer from the internet is an internet router. Home networking routers are better primarily because they are a separate piece of equipment that exists between the computer and the internet. Routers act as shields and gophers. They block unwanted traffic from getting in while fetching what the user requests on behalf of each computer connected to the network. No computer is ever live on the internet. A single router can secure an entire household of home PC's, Macs, laptops, tablets and gaming systems.

Penny and her I.T. friends had to deal with all of these issues as they expanded the scope of their distributed computing program. To expedite things each "infected" machine would covertly scan for email addresses and send out spam to each of those systems where it would quietly "infect" the next machine and then repeat itself. No user was ever aware that their computers had been compromised by this tactic, although some may notice an improvement in their performance as the software Penny and her colleagues were implanting carried with it an effective anti-virus program of their own design. Since running viruses consume badly needed processor cycles they were deleted before the software installed itself in the background.

One by one computers came into their grasp. They had stretched out to Boston and then New York City. From there they added Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Charlotte and St. Louis, Miami and Tampa Bay. Then on to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, New Orleans, Montgomery and San Antonio. Austin, Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Portland and everyplace in between all fell to their ever widening influence. By nightfall Penny and her friends had captured nearly every home PC, laptop, Macintosh, high end graphics processor, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 platform in North America.

Hundreds of millions of processors all tasked with breaking the encryption and then tearing through layers of meaningless gibberish that had buried the database. All of it at her command. The assault was withering.

"This is _my_ kung fu," she said triumphantly, quoting a line from the movie _The Core_. "And it is strong."

She was going to make it, but it would be close. Damn close.

* * *

**I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. After all of this awesome, the next chapter or so will have some heartwarming moments.**

**As always your generous feedback is appreciated.**


	78. Chapter 78

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina knew her mother would be busy all day today. Valerie would be released by around noon and then she and Claire would have to return to the Town Hall to continue working to avoid losing that coveted city contract. The sixteen year old blonde had been instructed to take the school bus or call Clarence for a ride home. Tina was still mad at Clarence for his impossibly inappropriate question at the hospital. So to get around this unfavorable situation she called up Blake asking him to pick her up at the school. In exchange she would go on that date she promised him. "As long as I get home before my mother. She usually stops working at about 6:30. We've got a few hours to kill."

The young man couldn't have been happier. He had just ended his shift that day and was looking to party. What better way than with the girl of his dreams. Together they split a pizza, played video games at the arcade and he earned enough tickets from games of Skee-Ball to trade in for a teddy bear, which he promptly gave to her as a token of his affections. It wasn't all that large, but she appreciated his effort, nonetheless. At six fifteen that afternoon he dropped her off at her house, giving her some of those wonderful pumpernickel mini muffins she enjoyed so much. She repaid his kindness with a kiss on the cheek.

It wasn't more than a light peck, but it sent the love struck Blake fluttering with joy. "Hey, maybe next time I can show you the stables. Care to ride a horse?"

"A horse? They have horses here in Storybrooke?"

"Oh yes they do," he said, nodding.

"That would be terrific, Blake. I'll call you when my mother is too busy," she told him before saying goodbye.

Inside, Tina sat down at the dining room table to study. Remembering the bear, she stuffed it into her book bag along with the muffins. If Claire asked how she got home, Tina would just say she took the school bus. That should cover all the details.

All accept one.

Clarence had not seen them together this afternoon. That was the whole point of this operation, to make that boy jealous. Then she could decide to stay with Blake or return to Clarence. Decisions, decisions. Life was tough for a sixteen year old girl, she concluded. Being twenty-two and on your own like Blake was much easier and more fun to her young eyes.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid-Georgian Period on the Mainland)

Vidia was happy with her progress. Her new leggings with the rudders really made the difference. In flight she was cutting corners so much better than ever before. Wisp was going to get her comeuppance soon enough, but there was more that needed to be done. For Vidia it wasn't enough to just be good with her new gear. They had to be an extension of herself. Just like her wings, using them had to be instinctive. Stopping to think for even half a second would put her behind in the race, but in a truly dangerous situation it could be harmful or even deadly. Death Row could be very dangerous. So she kept practicing.

Clank had been watching her progress and offered to help. Normally this fast flyer wouldn't bother with those lowly tinkers, but when she saw his ideas it made sense to accept his assistance. The fat tinker built a modular obstacle course with gates that could be easily changed. She never knew what the track would look like from day to day.

At first Vidia had trouble and often found herself thinking about what to do next. She had to pause frequently in her turns to make proper use of her leggings. A race against Wisp now would be disastrous. She would lose badly. Vidia, though, did not like to give up. Her competitiveness kicked in ands he pushed herself to make flying with her rudders as natural as breathing. It took time, perseverance and having that fat and ugly tinker around her for several hours a day, but it was all about to pay off.

**~O~**

Vidia's performance in The Kessel Run was breathtaking. Wisp was keeping up, unsurprisingly, but the addition of the rudders was making all the difference. It wasn't just in her turns, which were sharp and crisp, but her flying overall had improved. She was effortlessly precise. No longer did she pierce the air, instead she slid through it with unimaginable ease.

When approaching Death Row Vidia's heart began to race uncomfortably. Her breathing became shallow. Apprehension filled her like a bitter bile. When practicing this segment of The Kessel Run Vidia had real trouble. Despite all of her precision she kept messing up, kept crashing or making bad decisions. It made no sense, she had memorized the entire race from beginning to end to the point that it began to invade her dreams.

Clank, who had been observing, was able to diagnose the problem. Vidia was failing because for all of her preparation she was being _too_ careful in the trees. Death Row had earned its reputation in blood and she had no desire to add her own to that legacy.

"You need to be more reckless," he told her.

This advice struck her as insane. Wisp was always reckless and completely so with absolutely no regard for the consequences. Vidia was different, according to Clank. She knew when not to be reckless and when it was necessary and to what degree. Basically it all came down to a mental block. She had to break though it to win.

"Be reckless. Be just reckless enough to win this race," Vidia told herself. Those words galvanized in her heart. Now the fast flyer was ready and exploded into the forest that formed the second to last segment of the race. Vidia was slicing through the gates like a hot knife through mouse butter. Each turn was exact, no speed was lost and her flying was beyond excellent. The spectators who were witness and the judges who watched for any malfeasance were flabbergasted. It had always been assumed that flying of this caliber was unattainable. Now they were watching it unfold before their very eyes.

Vidia had been born to ride the currents of the air like no one else. She knew that. From the moment she arrived in Pixie Hollow she knew it was her destiny. Yet for all her trying it always seemed as if she could never attain that goal. Had she peaked early? True she was better than every other fast flyer, yet there was that nagging feeling that there was more to her than what she had already accomplished. At this moment she felt that the ceiling had been torn off and a whole new level of almost infinite potential had been opened to her. It was a thrilling sensation.

**~O~**

The first to emerge from the forest was Vidia. All that remained before her was a straightaway to the finish line. This was a test of pure, straight line speed. No curves or twists or turns. Just flat out acceleration. A quick look over her shoulder was especially gratifying. Wisp was far behind. The little blonde flyer wore a look of distraught confusion. She wasn't just going to lose, she was going to lose badly.

Crossing the finish line was an intensely satisfying experience for Vidia. The roars and cheers from the gathered onlookers filled her heart with such joy. The first to congratulate her was her own guild master followed by none other than Queen Clarion herself.

"Today you have proven yourself without equal," the elegant monarch told her. "You truly are the daughter of the wind."

That brief conversation meant so much to her. Vidia had never been described in such wondrous verse. No medal or prize could equal the power of those four words. Daughter of the Wind. It was an inspiring description. If Vidia were one to be moved to emotional outbursts, she would have cried with happiness.

With the race over Vidia considered the rivalry between her and Wisp a closed subject. She would quickly learn that no defeat could dampen that little imp's competitive spirit.

It would have devastating consequences.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Where have you been?" Claire raged when Hartley appeared at her door that evening. She was quite angry with him. She would not even allow him into the house without a proper explanation. "You weren't at the arraignment, or the jailhouse or even when that little girl you recommended was arrested. What is your excuse?"

"I was unfortunately preoccupied with town business," he answered. The morning of the arraignment his office received a call from the city. Winter's Heating had the town contract to maintain all of the HVAC units in every municipal building in Storybrooke. The city had received a complaint that a unit in the elementary school unit was not working properly. Hartley's company was ordered to do an emergency maintenance check of every unit in each school building.

"My company had performed that service check in mid-October," Hartley said. "Not one unit was malfunctioning then and not one unit was malfunctioning now."

Lydia, who had come by to prepare the three Kensington women and Hartley Winter for the upcoming hearing overheard the conversation. It wasn't hard as Claire had raised her voice when speaking to him. Hartley had very nearly returned the favor, projecting almost like stage actor as he spoke.

"That sounds like Mayor Mills," the lawyer interrupted. "Sorry for listening. I remember when Mr. Winter sent out all of those flyers in your defense. Claire, she knows Hartley will be at your side to offer every ounce of assistance he can. I wouldn't be surprised if she cooked this whole thing up just to keep the two of you apart."

Claire turned back to the man she loved so dearly and apologized, followed by a sweet kiss on his cheek.

**~O~**

Lydia Van Buren told the four what to expect in the hearing and began prepping them for Albert Spencer's method of questioning. "Spencer is very good at provoking witnesses to say what he wants them to say." A common tactic is to use the same word or phrase over and over again while pressing the witness. The witness becomes so angry that they blurt out that word or phrase like it was of their own invention. "He puts those words in your head and then coerces you into saying them. Don't worry, we'll practice how to stay calm when he tries it."

"Another trick he uses is meaning." Words have two accepted types of definitions: connotation and denotation. Connotation is the currently accepted cultural, societal or emotional meaning of a word or phrase. Denotation is the literal meaning, typically the dictionary definition or definitions. Spencer will listen and adroitly determine how a witness uses words or phrases and then uses the opposite during cross examination. If a witness uses connotation, for instance, he'll bring out the dictionary definition if it has the intended effect of undermining their testimony. "It's his way of casting you as a liar. If he can destroy your credibility then your testimony is without credibility no matter how accurate it is."

"Can you give us some examples?" Hartley requested.

"Yeah, I'm not clear on that, either," Tina added.

Lydia asked them to consider the word "cool." The literal definition relates to temperature. However, there are also several cultural uses of the word such as describing a car as "cool" or keeping "cool" under pressure.

"Oh my. Can you teach us to avoid that?" Claire asked, looking worried.

"The best way to prepare is through practice," Lydia replied. "I'll ask you the questions he will ask and try to provoke you the way he will try. I'll describe how best to answer those questions and to keep your head. By giving short and precise answers and not contributing any additional information you prevent Albert Spencer from using his most formidable weapons. Now before we begin I need to ask, do you trust me?"

"Of course, why would you ask that?" Vidia said in return.

"For the next few days I am not going to be nice," Van Buren told them bluntly. "I have to make you ready so you can weather the District Attorney's verbal assaults. That means I do what he does no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel. I will make you so angry you will want to punch me in the face. I don't care about hurt feelings because neither will he. My job is help you win this case, and to accomplish that goal I'll need your full cooperation. Now, _do you trust me?"_

All four nodded and answered yes.

"Alright, let's begin."

* * *

**Okay, the heartwarming (or rather heartbreaking scene) will be in the next chapter. It will be a doozy, too. After that, the hearing will finally begin.**

**Thanks for reading and as always your feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	79. Chapter 79

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Lydia kept to her word, harassing and cajoling and provoking and often times angering her clients. She applied every sleight and turn of the phrase that Albert Spencer would try. It frustrated Claire, annoyed Tina and infuriated Valerie. Only Hartley seemed able to keep his cool, though he did get tongue tied once or twice during the preparation sessions. When things got too hot Lydia would stop and remind them that this was practice.

"Listen to yourselves," she said more than once. "You do this in court and Albert wins. Regina wins. And Valerie goes to jail. Now take five minutes to calm down and we'll do this again."

There were moments when Lydia thought she would never get these four to remain collected under pressure. Intermixed with her attempts to antagonize the four, the law professional would ask questions she expected to be brought up in the courtroom and listened to their responses.

"Stop contributing," she told Tina, "Albert doesn't need to know that."

"That answer is too vague," she advised Valerie, "he will ask further questions."

"Speak with confidence," Claire was admonished, "that's a signal that you're uncertain of your answer and he will bait you into contradicting yourself."

"Don't smile so much" Hartley was told. "If he thinks you aren't taking him seriously it will undermine your credibility."

The evening before the hearing was to begin, Lydia wasn't even sure if they were anywhere near ready. She had been given so little time. Though not a trial, the hearing was crucial because it could determine Valerie's fate. If she were judged to be mentally incompetent to stand trial such a difficulty could be avoided. If not Valerie risked going to jail for several months.

According to law the burden of proof lay on the party claiming mental incompetence. Since it was the Kensington family making that claim they had the burden of proving Valerie's mental state. Lydia had all that she needed to make a solid case. Her interviews were very thorough and the medical and psychological reports were quite specific in pointing out both medical and psychological reasons for the change in personality.

All that was lacking was the lynchpin, the MRI scans which apparently showed a significant difference in Valerie's brain activity. Although Judge Bonaventure was no longer hearing the case, that didn't mean Mayor Regina Mills couldn't exert her power over the court. She had a long history of abusing her office so providing an airtight case was the only way to secure the desired outcome. Lydia prayed that the little girl working on the hospital servers would come through in time, but it seemed as if no amount of hoping and praying would help. She would have to make do with what she had.

**~O~**

Vidia was preparing for bed when Queen Clarion brought her some fresh under clothing to put away. She opened one of the drawers to lay in her shirts. When she tried to close it, though, it felt overstuffed. "What is wrong with this thing?" she asked no one in particular.

Clarion saw how much difficulty she was having and offered some advice. "Why don't you reorganize the drawer?"

It was a simple enough solution. Vidia began taking out all of the shirts and quickly found some kind of hard, white sheet covering something. When she removed it, underneath were several boxes with colorful pictures. Clarion took one look at them and backed away. She looked horrified and saddened, as if recalling a painful memory. Each unopened box was a model airplane waiting to be assembled, she explained.

Vidia was confused. "What's an airplane?"

The older woman knelt down right beside her and, with a hand on her shoulders, said, "Airplanes are how we travel long distances in a short period of time."

"How do they do that?"

"They fly."

It took a moment, but then Vidia's eyes widened and she replied, "Humans can fly?!"

"Yes, dear. For more than a century."

That's when Vidia remembered a brief moment when she, Tinker Bell and her friends were visiting Dr. Griffiths and his daughter Lizzy at their summer home. He was reading the local paper when he came across an article that he promptly shared with everyone in the house that day. "My word. According to this two Americans, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright, built a heavier than air machine that can fly."

Humans had long mastered being airborne using hot air balloons and dirigibles, but they were ungainly looking objects and some, like the balloons were difficult to control. A photo included with the article showed two long wings in parallel, one above the other, held together with struts and wires. Attached was a lengthy framework from back to front and at each end were smaller wings, one horizontal the other vertical. A man was lying across one of the large wings demonstrating how it was operated. Vidia thought it was ridiculous. No human could ever fly like a fairy, she told herself, and quickly put the article out of her mind.

Now it turned out that the simple biplane she had seen had spawned an entire industry of worldwide travel allowing humans to not only fly across this country, but around the world in mere hours whereas before it could take weeks or even months to traverse oceans by boat and continents by train.

Looking at the boxes, each "airplane" had a different though similar look and design. Every craft looked sleek and efficiently made to cut through the air with ease, not unlike how she used to slide through the air upon donning her leggings and rudder wings.

Clarion briefly described each one, grouping them according to purpose: passenger jet liners, stunt flyers, test aircraft, cargo aircraft, helicopters and air superiority fighters used by the military for national defense.

"Why are all of these here?" Vidia asked. "Why in this drawer covered up by shirts?"

"I'm afraid that is my fault," Clarion told her.

"Your fault?"

Clarion sighed. "Why don't you sit up here while I get something from my room," she instructed, patting the bed before leaving. Vidia closed the drawer and sat upon the bed. Moments later her queen returned holding two large books in her hands. She sat up on the bed next to her and said, "These are photo albums of us. You, me, Tina and your father. I want to show you something."

**~O~**

Claire opened the first book and showed Valerie several photos of when she was much younger. One showed her as a young teenager with braces. It was a school photo from her first year in high school. She found herself having to explain both the concept of braces and dentistry to Valerie who apparently had no concept of either.

"I looked so goofy back then," Claire admitted, now able to look back on that sad period of her life and laugh. Another photo taken less than four years later had her in a skimpy outfit with pompoms, a vest and extremely short skirt in yellow and black, yellow shoes and a full head of hair in tight curls that tumbled down over her shoulders.

"What are you wearing?!" Valerie asked.

"I was a cheerleader, sweetheart. In fact, I was the head cheerleader in my senior year. Our school mascot was the hornet and the cheerleading squad was known as the bumblebees."

"Why is your hair so…, poofy?"

"It was the eighties," Claire told her. "The era of big hair. Most women and quite a few young men wore their hair big and poofy like that."

"Whoa! Okay, so what does a cheerleader do?" Valerie asked.

"Well, we cheer on the team and promote school spirit. Y'know, I think I still remember some of the old cheers," she said, closing the book and standing in the middle of the room.

"This what we used to do back in high school," she told her eldest girl. "During a game we would stand out in front of the crowd and yell these cheers to get everyone excited so they would root for the team."

Claire stood in a pose then began to chant, prance and clap:

"East coast, West coast  
We like to boast (clap, clap)

We know, they know  
Canada to Mexico (clap, clap)

Hornets, Hornets  
Winning is our thing (clap, clap)

Mess with us, mess with us  
And you're going to feel o-our sting."

She finished by leaning over, sticking her butt out in the air and touching her finger to her backside, making a bee buzzing sound. "BUUZZZZZ!"

After a moment to catch her breath she asked Valerie, "Well? What do you think?"

Valerie had cringed and slid all the way to the back of the bed, looking absolutely horrified. "Okay, please don't ever do that again!" she pleaded.

Claire laughed as she returned to her daughter's side. "I'm sorry to embarrass you, dear. Here why don't we look at more pictures?"

The mother shared with her daughter more photos of her own life growing up, including the senior prom, graduation and going to college. Later photos had her with several young men including one she identified as Charlie. "That's your father," she informed Valerie.

In the second book were photos of her in a flowing white dress. Standing next to her was Charlie in a black tuxedo. It was their wedding. Later photos had Charlie standing next to brand new looking work truck with his company name on the door. That was the day he first started his business to support his new wife. Another picture had the two of them standing on front of the very house where they presently resided. "We were so thrilled that day," she said. "We could finally afford our own home." Indeed, both looked happy and excited.

A few pages later, Claire pointed to an image of herself holding a baby in a pink blanket. "That's you," she said. "You were so tiny that day we brought you home from the orphanage."

The post-accident Valerie had been told she was adopted, but it apparently meant nothing to her. It pained Claire to see this non-reaction. At least before when Valerie railed about being adopted and unwanted it at least showed it affected her in some way. That it held a strong meaning for her, one way or the other. Now, nothing. It was a heartbreaking reminder for Claire just what she had lost after that motorcycle accident Thanksgiving night. The cruel irony had not eluded her. The day set aside when the country gave thanks for the all the blessings enjoyed during the year and she loses one of her two most precious blessings.

There were other photos, like one which showed an eight year old Valerie dressed as Peter Pan. According to Claire, she had insisted on dressing as the iconic boy character for Halloween that year with Charlie dressed as Captain Hook, Claire as Wendy Darling and baby Tina in a cute little Tinker Bell dress complete with wings and magic wand.

"But she is Tinker Bell," Valerie protested. "And we don't use wands, only pixie dust. But Peter Pan isn't a fictional character. He is very real."

Claire, though, had become too distressed to carry on. Thinking about Valerie before and after the accident was too much for her to continue. She put the books down and made a terrible confession.

Claire picked up one of the unopened models and told Valerie what happened several years ago. "You probably don't remember this, but you were obsessed with flying airplanes," Claire said. "This room used to have several fully assembled airplane models hanging from the ceiling. Charlie bought them for you. He would come home, call all three of us to his side and each one of us would get a little token of his affections. The models were his gifts to you. He even made time to help you build and hang them."

Tears began welling up in the older woman's eyes. Charlie had promised Valerie flying lessons when she became of age, but he passed before that time came. Later, when Valerie reached that age she demanded that her mother fulfill her father's promise. Claire thought it was a foolish pipe dream and became so angry with Valerie when she would not relent that Claire tore down every single model plane, broke them and threw them all away in the trash.

"It never occurred to me until just now how much these meant to you," the mother said. "I wasn't just throwing away your dream of flying. It was like I was throwing away some of your best memories of your dad. Or maybe…, or maybe deep down inside I did know."

"What do you mean?"

The mother took a deep breath to steady her nerves before continuing. Her visits with Dr. Hopper were quite revealing. "I secretly hated your father. I hated him because…," she had to stop and clear her eyes before continuing. "When I graduated college my dream was to become a world class musician. A pianist. I wanted to play on the biggest stages around the world. When I met your father I wanted nothing to do with him. We were nothing alike, but somehow that man persisted and won me over. After we were married it wasn't long before he expressed a desire to start a family. I wasn't too keen on the idea, I still wanted to pursue my music career. That man could be very persuasive, though, and we started trying to have a baby, but to no avail."

A doctor's report detailed how the couple had a very low chance of conceiving a child on their own. It was a huge blow to both of them, but especially to Charlie who wanted a child sooner than Claire. Adoption became his saving grace. "That's how we came to bring you home. He was thrilled to have you in our house. I tried to be, but deep down inside lingered the hope of becoming that great piano player. Being a mother got in the way of all of that."

Deep down inside, Claire resented that Charlie had convinced her to take on the responsibility of a child before she was ready. Truth be told, Claire hated herself for not putting her foot down. Charlie wasn't a spiteful man and would have most likely understood.

For Claire, raising Valerie meant giving up on her lifelong ambitions. "And I subconsciously took it out on you, making you feel unwelcomed and unwanted in your own home. So you were right. I did prefer Tina. Not because she was my miracle baby, but because by the time she came around I was ready for motherhood. I accepted her as my own child the way I should have accepted you."

"So you didn't want Valerie?" Valerie asked in an odd third person sort of way.

That was the question Claire dreaded having to answer most. Lydia had asked her that several times in preparation for the hearing and she had always answered, "Yes, I did want her." She had convinced herself of this falsehood a long time ago. It became her truth. When faced with the unopened models in Valerie's drawers, the reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

It had been a lie. This was the reason for her late night confession. All of Dr. Hopper's family counseling had set the stage, but the models were the catalyst which forced her to accept what she had hidden for so many years. Claire's hands began to tremble along with her voice. The tears that had once filled her beautiful eyes now poured down her cheeks. Finally she managed to voice her answer. "No. No I didn't want you." There it was, the ugly truth of it all.

"It wasn't that I didn't want you specifically, Valerie. I just didn't want a child, period, at that stage in my life," Claire spelled out. "I tried to bury my feelings, as deep as I could for the benefit of my husband and baby girl, but that kind of resentment doesn't stay hidden. It finds ways to express itself and you became the innocent target. It…, I destroyed my relationship with you, my own daughter. A sweet girl who deserved better."

The mother wiped more tears from her eyes. "The funny thing is I was always resentful in the moment. But whenever I looked back I realized something. I realized how much I really loved you, how much I enjoyed being a mother. All those precious memories. Like the time when you had barely learned to walk. You had just had a bath, I was toweling you off and suddenly you darted out of my grasp and ran naked around the front yard, squealing with the joy of an impish child."

Valerie eyes widened upon hearing this, as if learning of it for the first time. Which she probably was.

"Then when you were five, you decided to give yourself a haircut and you came into my room crying because you had bald patches on your head. Or the time you came home with straight A's on your report card after working so hard to earn them. You were so proud of yourself and I was proud of you, too. And every time you and your father completed one of these models, the three of us went out for ice cream. I enjoyed all of those moments, but never as they happened. Only upon reflection. I suppose because I still resented having the opportunity to become a great musician and piano player taken away from me. That left so many unanswered questions in my life about what could have been."

Claire pulled Valerie into a warm and motherly embrace. She kissed her gently on the forehead and wept as she said, "Please don't take this the wrong way, Vidia, but I want my Valerie back. I want that little girl who taught me what it meant to be a mother. I want to apologize to her for how I treated her. Valerie deserved so much better. I know I screwed up over these twenty four years and nothing can change what has happened. But maybe if she comes back we can reconcile and be what we should have been in the first place, a family."

The grieving mother choked back her crying as she fought to continue through this catharsis. "But even if she hates me for the rest of her life at least it's better than not knowing what happened to her. She'll at least be her old self again. I just want my baby girl back!" Claire then broke down into sobs and wept uncontrollably.

** ~O~**

Vidia listened intently to what "Claire" was telling her, and although she could sympathize a little with this Valerie person, the fast flyer knew it was all a lie. A false history placed in their heads for reasons she did not know. She wanted desperately to tell "Claire" that this was all fake. That she was Queen Clarion of Pixie Hollow, not Claire Kensington of Storybrooke, Maine. But the emotions Claire was experiencing seemed as genuine as any Vidia had experienced so the flyer held her tongue. Instead she apprehensively put her arms around her queen in act of comfort and solidarity. It was all Vidia was able to do until this evil magic could be undone.

* * *

**The hearing will begin in the next chapter, along with another installment of Vidia and Wisp.**


	80. Chapter 80

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid-Georgian period on the Mainland)

The Daughter of the Wind. That phrase carried such elegance, such grace, such beauty. Vidia was too moved by its power to grossly revel in it. It should be revered, clutched tightly in her heart as she might clutch a medal or an award to her chest. For once she wasn't heckled or mocked or ignored. She had earned this accolade with her own hard work and perseverance. It was like the crown worn by a monarch declaring their superiority.

However, Wisp would not let a single defeat stop her from trying to recapture that crown. "Race me, Vidia," she demanded. "Race me again, I'll prove to you who is best." Now she sounded bitter and angry, not joyful. There was no merriment in her voice. She was all business.

"Hey, I won and won handily," Vidia scoffed. "It! Is! Over!"

"It is not over," Wisp countered. "I won once and you won once. That doesn't make you the best at anything."

"Why don't you just stop, already? You've lost, accept it and move on."

"Why? You didn't," Wisp answered back. "Why is it okay for you to be persistent, but not me? What's wrong, afraid that your victory will look like an accident? You and I both know your new clothes made all the difference, not you."

"Gear is only as good as they flyer wearing them," Vidia spat. Then in a smug tone added, "I guess that shows us who the greatest fast flyer really is, doesn't it? Or are those rags around your feet just for decoration?"

Wisp became spectacularly irate. "I'll show you Vidia. I will not rest until I can prove you're nothing, but a cheater and a second rate fairy." With that the little blonde flyer bolted off into the skies.

_Great, more races with that crazy girl_, Vidia moaned internally. Wisp would never be happy being number two. Just as Vidia couldn't, either. She knew what this meant. A lifetime of race after race after race against that little snip. There had to be a way ending this feud between them (that is what it had turned into), and soon.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia could not get to sleep right away after the tear filled confession of her queen. Her pronouncement that she was not wanted struck Vidia right in the heart. It felt like the days when she was an outcast in her own society. Vidia dealt with it by reminding herself that those words did not come from the heart of her queen, but from the false memories of a distraught mother. That was Queen Clarion's (human) body, but not her mind. The memories, feelings and emotions of this night were all illegitimate. She could not take them at face value.

What Vidia did take to heart was the vulgar way the queen acted. Dancing cheers and crying like a human baby. Clarion had always been the very model of poise, grace, sophistication, reserve and regal grandeur. Watching her come unglued as she did was disheartening to the say the least. It angered Vidia to know that someone had made the queen into a lowly woman of this sort. That anger only further galvanized Vidia in her task to undo this black magic and return all the fairies to their rightful place on Never Land Island.

**~O~**

Like her daughter in the other room, Claire could not sleep well this night. After finally coming to terms with her own greatest failure she had flung off a terrific burden, one that had weighed her down for so many years. However, now she faced a new problem. Her first child, her baby girl was gone. She reminded herself of this fact from time to time, but refused to take it heart, deluding herself that Valerie might come back given time. Now it seemed that this was impossible.

Strong emotions can sometimes bring back memories in someone who has lost them. Earlier this night the photos and confessions had no effect on Valerie who had spent the last several years in furious rebellion. Claire more than ever felt all was lost and that protecting her child from the courts had moved into the territory of being purely academic. Yet the love she had finally rediscovered for her eldest daughter could not let her simply give the girl up.

Whoever she was now, whatever name she chose to use, that was still her child and nothing could separate Claire from the last twenty four years of motherhood. Parental attachments run too deep to be severed so easily. She vowed to always care and protect her daughter even if her own daughter did not or could never remember her own mother. This was her new burden, a weight that could never be lifted. Claire was desperate for a forgiveness she could never receive. Keeping this new woman in her daughter's body safe was to be her self-imposed penance.

To that end, Claire contacted both Lydia Van Buren and Doctor Archie Hopper to inform them of what had happened. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she apologized to each as she spoke to them. "I was kidding myself all this time. Trying not to admit I was the horrible mother Valerie always accused me of being."

Dr. Hopper was grateful for the news, for him this announcement meant Claire had reached a new level of self-awareness that could lead to a better relationship with both Valerie and Tina. Lydia, though, while appreciative that this breakthrough occurred before the hearing and not after, was still very cross with Claire for not coming to terms with this sooner. Van Buren had to spend extra time during the night altering her case to account for this change. It also meant being unable to prepare anyone for when this question was asked and answered in court. It wasn't damaging, just so damn ill timed.

**~O~**

Next morning the courthouse had more spectators than when the arraignment occurred. This was actually Regina's doing. Since it was difficult for her to stop the hearing as she was the one who insisted that it be held as soon as possible, her desire was to fill the courtroom with people who would find Valerie's claims laughable.

If Regina couldn't tilt the courts in her favor, then she would humiliate the girl in a public forum. Shame Valerie and her mother right out of Storybrooke. Of course, finding these people was a little harder ever since that blabbermouth television host went on the air and discussed the girl's situation. She made Valerie look as sympathetic as possible. Still, there were enough in the crowd to do the job.

To ensure the onlookers would be against the girl, they were told to arrive extra early. Bailiffs were instructed who to let into the courtroom and many sympathizers were forced to listen from outside or watch from home.

**~O~**

"Okay, now remember what we talked about these last couple of days," Lydia instructed her clients. "Stay calm, keep your answers short and to the point and do not contribute any information."

She then turned to one her aides and asked if the young girl at the hospital had been able to recover those MRI images from their computers yet. He shook his head in the negative.

"Damn, she better work fast."

**~O~**

Vidia looked through the crowd and found Rosetta squished in among the throng waiting for court to begin. She waved to her and the garden fairy turned television host waved back. Elsewhere she found Terence who somehow had managed to get the day off to lend his support. Then she spotted two persons she hoped to never see again.

"Swift and Festus," she gasped. "What are they doing here?" The two disgraced fast flyers were seated next to none other than Mr. Gold, the pawn shop owner whom everyone was so afraid of. Their presence angered Vidia, bringing back floods of unwanted memories.

"Who?" Lydia asked her.

Vidia pointed them out to her. She had told Lyria, Lydia in this land, her entire history including how she had come to be banished from the fast flyer's guild and was forced to live in disgrace in the sour plum tree overlooking the pine forest where her guild made its home. The lawyer knew exactly who they were and made quick note of it.

"Are you going to be okay?" Lyria asked Vidia, apparently sensing that this upset her.

Vidia took a few deep breaths. "Yeah, I think so."

"Just don't look at them," Lyria instructed. "Don't look at them, don't even think about them. They are just faces in the crowd."

"Right, faces in the crowd," Vidia repeated.

"Do you see anyone else?" Lydia asked her client. Valerie took a quick survey of those in attendance. "No, that's it," she said.

"Good. Stay calm and remember what we talked about. You are going to do just fine."

**~O~**

A moment later the judge entered the room and court was gaveled into session. The hearing began in earnest. The new charges, which did not include resisting arrest, but did include the qualifier "misdemeanor" for reckless endangerment, were announced to those gathered. Mayor Mills, who was seated in the first row did not look pleased with the new list of charges against Valerie Kensington. The federal charge she wanted carried a longer sentence and stiffer fine.

Nonetheless, Regina had stacked her deck well and was ready to force "Queen Clarion" and the others out of her town. And the sooner the better. Finally, there would be payback against that unholy fairy queen for taking away what Regina wanted more than anything: her one true love, Daniel.

**~O~**

Lydia did her best to make the case that Valerie was not mentally competent to stand trial. Mental competence hinges on one of two things. First, does the defendant understand the reasons and consequences of standing trial? Second, can the defendant properly assist in her own defense? Only one of these standards needed to be met.

Valerie most certainly could understand the consequences of the trial, so the first condition could not be met. However, her personality had drastically changed and she believed herself to be a wholly different person. A different person who did not possess the memories of Valerie Kensington. She could not recall any events of her own life, much less the evening in question. Therefore she could not adequately assist in her own defense. This was Lydia Van Buren's claim that she was mentally unfit to stand trial.

When asked to provide how she reached that conclusion Lydia said that Valerie Kensington believed herself to be a character from children's movies based on a fairy tale. "She thinks she is Vidia, a fast flying fairy who lives on Never Land Island alongside Tinker Bell."

As soon as she made that pronouncement there were howls of laughter from those who had come to watch. The judge gaveled the court back into order. Lydia knew what she was facing. Regina had stacked the courtroom with people who would jeer Valerie throughout the proceeding.

"Your honor, permission to approach the bench?" she asked.

"Granted."

Lydia asked that the courtroom be cleared of all spectators. "They are going to laugh, mock and humiliate my clients throughout this proceeding."

"What's wrong, counselor? Can't Valerie Kensington take a little light hearted giggling?" Albert Spencer rebuked.

"This isn't light hearted giggling," Lydia argued. "They are going to make a mockery of your courtroom and humiliate my client until she won't even be willing to speak in her own defense."

"Careful, Lydia," Spencer cut in, "you're undermining your own claims of mental incompetence."

"This isn't a trial, Mr. Spencer," the judge reminded him. He then turned to Lydia and said, "Ms. Van Buren, if they continue in this manner I'll grant your request."

It was a small victory for Lydia, but she wondered when the judge would draw the line. Hopefully sooner than later because Valerie was the first one called to the stand.

* * *

**Whew, finally this hearing is going to start. So, will Penny be able to recover those files in time? Will Vidia spend months in jail? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out.**


	81. Chapter 81

**Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

This had been her fourth time through The Kessel Run just today. Wisp had incrementally improved her time during each attempt, but it was still not enough to overtake Vidia. Not nearly enough. She felt ragged and out of breath. Her anxiety and anger had taken their toll. Beads of sweat covered her face, her normally wind swept hair was plastered to her forehead and neck. Even her clothes were soaked through. The very muscles she used for flight were screaming for mercy. She would give them none of the sort.

Wisp took a few sips of water and nibbled on some mouse cheese before she returned to the start for another try. She was exhausted from this. Every day she had been at this, running this course over and over again trying to improve upon Vidia's time, looking for any advantage, any way to save a second here, a half second there. Her improvements were too small to make much of a difference.

Inside, her heart was beating almost as fast as her wings. Part of her mind was begging for her to give up, to admit Vidia really was better than her. Wisp refused to listen to those thoughts. Instead she focused only on her anger, her hurt pride and her need to be number one. This was mental exhaustion creeping in. Overcoming a tired mind was one of her keys to success. The other was trimming tenths of a second at every turn and curve she encountered.

At the forest section Wisp could not trim enough and she needed a new strategy, she cut her turns and corners tighter and closer to the trees. Her mind did not register just how close she was coming to making contact with the bark and leaves. The combination of mental exhaustion and an unrelenting need to be the best at any cost blinded her to the danger she was putting herself into.

Wider curves meant more distance and more time to move from one obstacle and gate to the next. Shallower twists, turns and curves reduced distance and time. It also brought her closer and closer to obstacles until her wings began clipping leaves, then branches and then tree trunks. She had to shave full seconds off her overall time. Not hundredths, not tenths, whole seconds were needed to overcome Vidia's incredible performance.

She became blind to her ambitions, no other concerns entered her thoughts. Not how close she was coming, not that her wings were bouncing off the hard trees, not that her life was in danger. Not until it was too late. She clipped a branch and cluster of leaves. It threw Wisp off her rhythm which she cursed under her breath. It would slow her. It did not occur that this small clip changed her approach to the next tree.

Normally, she could see where to turn to navigate around the thick tree trunk. The slight change altered her angle and now she could not see safely around where a branch was hiding. When she finally saw it, it was too late and the tiny fairy smacked off of it, sending Wisp into a spiral until she plowed head first into the next tree. It was the last moment she could remember.

Wisp's unconscious body fell to the ground where yellow and orange leaves were shoved into the air by her impact and then floated down around and on her, obscuring her location from the air. She had been practicing without the benefit of a spotter, no one knew she had been injured or even where she fell. Her rescue was now left entirely to chance.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Lydia had been very careful about what she told Vidia prior to the hearing. She decided that allowing Vidia to have genuine responses to certain questions would sell the judge that the young woman was not herself anymore. If answers to critical questions about herself, her environment or history seemed rote or coached it would destroy any chance of a favorable outcome. Vidia was made aware of this during her counseling immediately prior to the court date. She at least knew that some things would be a surprise to her. "Just be yourself," Lydia advised her before Vidia was to take the stand in her own defense. "Answer the questions truthfully, but remember what I taught you."

"Okay."

Van Buren was taking a huge risk. It was a cardinal sin to put your own client on the witness stand during one of these preliminary hearings, but without the MRI scans to prove her case having Valerie display her total change in personality and lack of personal memories was her best bet at winning this case.

It could also backfire horribly. If the D.A. and the judge were not totally convinced, this would go to trial and the evidence was stacked up against Valerie. The smashed motorcycle, her mother's testimony, eyewitness accounts and the police reports were too much to overcome. Even if she could prove that Valerie was beyond distressed, the fact that she had planned to leave town with her boyfriend undermined that defense. Lydia hoped that the girl understood the weight of her answers. She was on trial, fighting for her own future.

**~O~**

District Attorney Albert Spencer approached Valerie and asked directly, "Please state your name."

"Vidia," she answered.

"Your _legal_ name," he demanded. "The name your parents gave you."

"Legal?"

"What name is on your legal documents?" he asked trying a different line of questioning.

"What documents? My name is Vidia."

There was a bit of chuckling from the gallery. Spencer approached the judge and asked that Valerie be forced to answer the question. Lydia immediately objected stating that the girl had no recollection of her former life and therefore did not know her legal name or what legal documents were. "They aren't part of the world she has created for herself."

"Your honor, we have not yet established that the defendant is suffering from any psychological or mental breakdown," Spencer rebuked.

Lydia countered that both Dr. Whale and Dr. Hopper had confirmed a change in her mental and psychological status. "The digital MRI files are not in our possession as a result of a cyber-attack on the hospital's network."

The judge thought about both arguments for a moment. No one could know for sure what was going in her head and the depositions from both medical experts seemed to corroborate Van Buren's claim. Yet it was equally possible that Ms. Kensington was taking advantage of the situation. He decided to err on the side of caution, but with a critical qualifier.

"Sustained. I'll allow it for now, but if I find your client is playing games, Ms. Van Buren, I'll hold her in contempt of court and for interfering with a police investigation and obstruction of justice."

To acquire the same information, Spencer utilized a different tactic. He asked for and received Valerie's state issued driver's license. He handed it to the girl and asked, "Is that you on this license?"

"Yes," she replied.

"And how do you know it is a license?" he asked her.

"You just said it was a license. And it says so right here," she replied pointing to the word "license" on the small card. The gallery chuckled at Spencer's misstep. He felt the sting, but proceeded with his next question.

"What name appears next to your picture?"

"Valerie Segall Kensington," she replied.

"Is that your name?"

"No, my name is Vidia," she answered, this time more adamantly.

"Has it always been Vidia?"

"Yes," she answered.

"From birth?"

"From the moment I arrived in Pixie Hollow and the queen gave it to me," Valerie replied.

"And how would you remember this? You were an infant."

"I didn't arrive as an infant," Valerie told him. "I arrived pretty much as I am now."

"That must have been a painful birth for your mother?" was Spencer's snippy reply.

"Fairies aren't born like humans," Valerie replied.

"I see. Well then enlighten us, how did you come into this world?"

"We're born from baby's first laugh."

"Did you arrive in a hospital?"

"No."

"Then where were you bor-, where did you arrive?"

"A landing at the Pixie Dust Tree in Pixie Hollow."

"And where is this 'Pixie Hollow?"

"On the island of Never Land" Valerie testified.

This caused an uproar of laughter from the gallery.

Lydia leapt to her feet. "Your Honor, please."

The judge pounded his gavel and bellowed to the crowd. "That is enough! This is a courtroom. A place where we conduct the people's business with the utmost decorum. If you cannot restrain yourselves I'll have this room cleared."

The laughing and snickering quieted instantly. His own outburst had the intended effect. "Please continue, Mr. Spencer."

Spencer was unhappy with the way things were panning out, so he moved on. "What is your mother's name?"

"I don't have a mother," she replied. "Fairies don't have parents."

Spencer asked Valerie to identify the women he was pointing to. "Who is that person right there?"

"She is Queen Clarion, ruler of the Never Fairies of Pixie Hollow and the Winter Woods."

This brought a few chuckles and snickers from the gallery. A quick pound of the gavel and a hard stare from the judge put an end to it. "Proceed," the judge ordered.

"That woman is not your mother?" Spencer restated.

"Objection," Lydia yelled. "Asked and answered."

"I'm seeking clarification," the older man replied.

"I'll allow it, but just this once, then move along."

Spencer tried to stare down Vidia and in a deep and intimidating voice demanded, "Answer the question."

"No, she is Queen Clarion ruler of the Never Fairies."

Claire looked hurt. She knew this was coming, but to hear her own child deny any parental bond still felt like a knife in her heart.

"And the young, blonde girl? Is that your sister?"

"No."

"Who is she then?"

**~O~**

Vidia looked around, sat up rigidly straight and answered. She knew what would happen but nonetheless stated, "Her name is Tinker Bell."

Nearly every member of the gallery burst out into peals of laughter. Lydia jumped to her feet and pleaded with the judge who needed no additional prodding. "Bailiff's, clear this courtroom."

This caused several to boo the judge; he immediately had anyone caught booing arrested for contempt of court. It took several minutes to clear the gallery and five or six were taken away by the bailiffs charged with maintaining order. The remainder of the court was held with a mostly empty room. A few supporters for Vidia remained, but only because Lydia identified them as important to her case. Desiree, Clarence and Hartley stayed. Mr. Gold and two of his employees were not asked to leave since they had all remained silent throughout the early moments of the proceedings. Regina stayed in her seat, unhappy with what had just happened.

Vidia, however, did not appear ashamed or humiliated. Instead, she was more defiant and determined than ever.

**~O~**

Spencer tried to question Valerie her about the night she ran away from home. Sensing that the young woman might be very well coached he decided to ask his question sideways. Rather than quiz her directly if she remembered having an argument with her mother and running away, he asked a simple, unrelated question. The idea was to make the witness think about something unrelated. This would cause them to lower their guard and reveal their deception. It was a tactic he had used successfully before.

Remembering that the night Valerie bolted from the house was Thanksgiving he asked, "How was the turkey?"

"Turkey? I don't eat meat," she replied.

"It was Thanksgiving," Spencer added. "You had turkey for dinner, did you not?"

"What is this Thanksgiving?" Valerie asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Did you happen to notice any mist settling in that evening?"

"How should I know? I wasn't even there," was her adamant response.

"Deputy Swan pursued you in her police cruiser," Albert replied. "She remembers because your mother was following you in her work truck."

"I already told you, I don't know. I have no idea where I have been the last one hundred years."

"Yes, you claim to be from the year 1905," Albert reiterated. "Very well, who was the President of the United states in 1905?"

"I don't know and I wouldn't care, either," Vidia answered. "We don't concern ourselves with the affairs of humans."

"Yet you knew that the King of England at that time was Edward VII," Albert responded, suspecting a lie.

"Lizzy told us," she answered.

"Yes, the little girl you claim to have befriended." Spencer paused for a moment and glared at the young woman in the witness stand, trying to intimidate her. Valerie must have known what he was doing because one side of her lip curled up in a smile. She was challenging him. The girl was not afraid.

"Where does she live again?"

"In London, England."

"Who won the Super Bowl in 2008?" This question made more than a few people shift uncomfortably in their seats. The 2007 New England Patriots had finished the regular season that year undefeated and were primed to become only the second team in NFL history to have a completely undefeated season capped by a Super Bowl win. However, the New York Giants, a team that barely made the postseason, upended the supposedly unstoppable Patriots in Super Bowl 42 leaving the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only team in NFL history to have completed such a spectacular feat. That game left a bitter taste in the mouths of all Patriots fans, including many of the residents of Storybrooke who followed Boston professional and amateur sports with a passion.

Valerie's response, "Somebody won a giant bowl? For what?"

"Do you have any interest in sports?"

"Sure. In the Pixie Hollow Games we have Leap Frog…"

"Stick to the facts, Ms. Kensington," he demanded.

"These are facts," she replied with arms crossed and an arched eyebrow, "or do they scare you?"

"Can you verify these facts? Are there records that can be scrutinized?" Spencer's voice began to grow louder and louder as he spoke. "Well, where can I find them? Are they in City Hall? Maybe in a children's book? Perhaps we should look…"

"Objection," Lydia protested. "He is badgering the witness."

"Sustained. Restrain yourself, Mr. Spencer."

In a calmer, yet no less intense voice, Spencer asked again, "Where can I find some legal proof of their existence?"

"Objection," Lydia protested again. "Ms. Kensington is suffering from a psychological disorder in which her memories have been displaced by new memories of her own design and is incapable of offering legal proof."

"They _are_ of her own design, Your Honor," Spencer countered. "Her own conscious design to avoid prosecution."

"That hasn't been proven," Lydia replied. "That is the point of this hearing, to determine her mental fitness for a court trial."

"I'm well aware of this court's purpose, counselor," the judge responded somewhat annoyed. After a moment's thought the magistrate overruled the objection and allowed Spencer to proceed.

Vidia's answer however, was most unconventional. "Do you have this 'legal proof' that they don't exist?"

"Never Land is found in a children's book," Spencer responded. "It's a fairy tale, folklore. It does not exist."

"England is found in fairy tales and folklore, does that mean it doesn't exist?" Vidia retorted with a smirk and a wily glint in her eye.

Those remaining in attendance laughed at Valerie's comment. Even the judge snickered. Lydia, however, was horrified by the flip response. She face palmed and let out a groan under her breath.

Spencer was equally unamused. "Your Honor, please instruct the witness to restrict her answer to the question at hand."

The judge informed Valerie that she could only reply to what was asked of her.

"Now tell me, _Miss_ Kensington, just how do you know of fairy tales and folklore?" Spencer asked Valerie, sensing an opening.

"Lizzy's father read them to her when he put her to bed at night," Valerie replied. "Some of those tales were great fun."

The District Attorney asked for details; in particular which stories which she heard. Valerie listed such titles or characters as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood and a few more.

This was another brick wall. Each of the stories Valerie mentioned were written before the late 1800's and early 1900's. If she had mentioned something that was recent, he could have shown her as the fraud he was certain she was. Spencer frowned at his opponent, Ms. Van Buren. She had done an excellent job of coaching this girl.

From that point onward the District Attorney attempted to extract as many answers in rapid success as he could. He quizzed Valerie on personal history and tastes such as did she remember skinning her knee while riding a bicycle at age ten; what was her winning time at a track meet in middle school; what presents did she get at her last birthday; did she remember the day her father died; what was her favorite food; what was her favorite color and finally he wanted to know about the bar incident in which her own mother had to win a dart game to make her go to work.

Valerie maintained that she didn't know anything about those events. "My name is Vidia, not Valerie Kensington," she said. "I don't know what happened because I wasn't there. I don't even know who this Valerie person is."

"And you don't remember when your own father passed away?" he asked her, trying to make her look as heartless as possible. "For a teenager that should have been a traumatic experience."

"I'm a fairy, we don't have fathers or mothers," she reiterated. "We're born from a baby's first laugh."

"What about the day your mother tore down every model aircraft in your room and destroyed them?" he asked her. "What feelings did you have that day?"

"I wasn't there," she answered again. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't know where I've been for the last one hundred years."

"What is your favorite color?"

"Purple, the colors of my talent guild," she replied.

"What do you like most about your favorite drink?" Again Spencer tried asking the question sideways, alluding to her love of Mr. Pibb.

"Mouse milk," she answered.

"I'm sorry, but did you say _mouse milk_?"

"Yes, who doesn't love mouse milk? It tastes great," was her answer.

Spencer's stomach turned and twisted at her reply. "You get milk from mice?"

"Sure, we have dairy mice that produce enough milk for our entire population," Valerie told him. "The animal talent fairies care for them and extract their milk for us to drink."

"Ms. Kensington, mice are vermin," Spencer told her. "They eat our food and spread disease."

"Sure, if you try to hoard all the food for yourselves, but we share," she said. "Mice are our friends. We house and feed them, care for and bathe them regularly and in return they help us with our day to day tasks in Pixie Hollow. AND they're a lot nicer than you."

Spencer glared at the woman. The judge pounded his gavel and sternly warned Valerie that any more such impudent or disrespectful remarks would be grounds for contempt of court.

"What are their names?" he asked her.

"Well, there's Cheese, Cheddar, Roquefort…"

"Those are names of cheeses," Spencer helpfully informed her.

"Yes, that's what we call them," Vidia explained. "We don't know their actual names, but when we yell out 'Cheese' or 'Gouda' the right mouse comes running right up to us."

"I see. What was the last thing you remember?" he asked her. "I mean, before you woke up in the hospital?" Spencer was aware of what she had said to Dr. Hopper. Now he wanted to find out if her story had changed.

"Tinker Bell coming back to Pixie Hollow," Valerie answered.

"Tinker Bell? You mean your sister over there?"

"I mean Tinker Bell," Valerie replied.

"Why did she leave in the first place?"

"She felt unwanted and unneeded."

This answer stunned Spencer and the remainder of those in the courtroom. Everything known about Tinker Bell had come from books, movies and plays. Suddenly, to have this information presented to them was like a bombshell.

"She didn't run off with Peter Pan?"

"Yes, she did."

"Then you lied."

"No, I didn't. She left with Peter Pan because she didn't feel like she had a life in Pixie Hollow anymore. She had tinkered every new idea she could think of and…"

"Thank you, Ms. Kensington. Let's move on," Spencer said, cutting her off. Although he didn't necessarily have the advantage he was hoping for, Spencer had decided on a new course of action. One he intended to employ if he could not break her any other way. Thus he put into play his ace in the hole.

"I want to talk about your home on the island of Never Land."

* * *

**Whew, sorry this took such a long time to post. Courtroom drama can be so difficult to write if your name isn't Dick Wolf (of Law and Order fame). **

**I hope you find this new chapter to be well worth the wait. Drop me a line if you enjoyed it. Thanks.**


	82. Chapter 82

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid Georgian Period)

When Vidia got word from a summoner that Wisp was in the hospital she just rolled her eyes. _Why am I not surprised?_ she asked herself. Wisp was always being reckless and causing trouble. Now it seemed it had come back to bite her in the wings.

Vidia sighed before asking what the summoner talent happened.

"Wisp collided with a tree while practicing The Kessel Run," he told Vidia. "All I know is that she has suffered severe injuries."

Vidia could not abide by Wisp's reckless antics, but they were both members of the same guild. That always counted for something.

**~O~**

At the hospital Vidia strolled in expecting to see Wisp with a broken wrist or ankle. Maybe a bandage on her head. In fact, she even had a few scathing remarks practiced to mercilessly heckle the reckless fast flyer.

She had opened her mouth and was ready to pounce with a verbal attack to bring down the house when she stopped cold in her tracks. What she saw sunk Vidia's heart and twisted her stomach. Wisp was lying face down and her body was carefully strapped to a bed. Her head and neck were braced and held motionless. Several healing talents swirled around the young flyer. She noticed that for all the activity they hardly put a hand on her and when they did it was with a delicate touch.

"She was careless," a voice whispered to Vidia. She turned and saw her own guild supervisor in the room watching helplessly from a distant corner. Vidia quietly stepped next to him, her gaze never once averting from the incapacitated Wisp.

"What…, what happened to her?"

"She was trying to beat your time," he answered. "The doctors think she went head first into a tree trunk and injured her neck. Wisp has little or no feeling in her extremities. She can't move her arms or legs, not even her wings."

This revelation nearly crushed Vidia.

"The worst part of it was that no one saw what happened," she was told. "Wisp was found only after a breeze blew away some leaves that had fallen on top of her. We don't know how long she was lying there, maybe as long as a day or more."

Vidia had never felt so frightened for anyone since Fairy Morrison charged the Hawk and killed it, dying himself in the process. Barely able to stand, Vidia floated out of the room and left the hospital in a daze. She meandered aimlessly, almost zombie-like around Pixie Hollow completely oblivious to her surroundings. Her mind continually swirling with the image of the incapacitated Wisp strapped and immobilized to the hospital bed.

Eventually she made her way back to her sour plum tree home, though she had no memory of how she got there or what route was taken. Vidia stumbled around before sinking in a dark corner where she clutched her legs to her chest and began rocking back and forth. Her entire body shivered with fear, doubt and self-recrimination.

Inwardly, Vidia was terrified out of her mind. She had disliked Wisp and her antics, at times wishing that the hawk would take her for being so stupid. But now Vidia wondered if she had driven the youngster to this. Was she partly responsible for crippling a fairy of Pixie Hollow? And not just any fairy, but one from her own guild? One of such talent as to be equal to her own? How cruel a fate that someone with so much promise could have their whole future ended in a moment.

It was a crushing thought for the fast flyer. It could have been her so easily. It was someone else who would have to struggle daily with ordinary tasks. Vidia would have to suffer knowing she may have had a hand in this tragedy.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Let's talk about your home, this place you call Pixie Hollow," Albert said to Valerie, practically chomping at the bit for what he had in store. "I want to know all about it."

"Objection!" Lydia said bolting out of her chair. "The District Attorney has already made it clear he only wants to deal with what he can verify."

"I intend to do just that," Spencer replied in kind. "I want to clarify her vision of her home and compare it to what is known."

The judge sighed. "Overruled, but mind yourself, Mr. Spencer. Go too far afield and I will reign you in."

"Understood." The D.A. turned to Valerie and with phony pleasant smile began to ask his questions. "Tell me, Ms. Kensington..."

"My name is Vidia," she said, cutting him off.

"Of course, Vidia, what do the fairies of Pixie Hollow do? What is their primary focus each year?"

"We bring the four seasons to the mainland," she answered.

"And how do tiny creatures manage that?"

Valerie went on to detail each of the major nature talent guilds and their responsibilities. Water fairies could manipulate water and helped the fish to grow and learn to swim. Animal talents cared for the insects, the animals and the birds, raising them and teaching them what they needed to know to survive on the mainland. Garden talents grew flowers, trees, grasses and other plants which in turn provided seeds and cuttings that would be flown to the mainland so they could be planted and allowed to grow wild once they were planted by the fairies of Pixie Hollow.

Light talents could bend and capture light and gave fireflies their glow. Fast flying fairies created breezes and winds which playfully rustled flora in the spring and summer and knocked down leaves in the fall. Storm fairies brought much needed rain when nature could not do so reliably.

"Then why are there droughts?" Spencer asked.

"Well they can't do it all the time," Valerie answered. "Humans would get spoiled."

The handful of people still in the courtroom murmured with laughter at this statement. According to Valerie, fairies existed to support the human world, but were not in the business of maintaining order, just helping nature along according to its own rules.

**~O~**

At the table for the defense, a finger tapped Lydia on the shoulder. She turned to see Dr. Archie Hopper sitting in the gallery right behind her. He had quietly snuck in to watch the questioning now that his morning schedule was finished. The mayor insisted that Henry have his morning session before school. It forced Archie to miss the earliest part of court.

"Did I miss much?" he whispered very quietly.

"No, just hecklers getting thrown out," Lydia informed him. "Glad you're here, Spencer is trying to rattle Valerie."

"It will be like two bulls in a China shop," he replied quietly before sitting back.

**~O~**

"Is Tinker Bell one of these nature talent fairies?" Spencer asked Valerie as a follow up to his line of questioning.

"No, she is a tinker fairy," Valerie answered him. She looked Tina right in the eyes and added, "She's a darn good one, too."

Spencer wanted to know what a tinker fairy did in Pixie Hollow. Valerie explained how they made satchels and baskets and acorn buckets so that the nature fairies could carry all of their seeds, animals and fish to the mainland to be released into the wild. They also made and serviced devices that helped the fairies of Pixie Hollow do their jobs better and faster.

"It's given us more free time for ourselves and to explore ways to expand what we do," she concluded.

"How does your queen oversee all of this work?"

"There is a chain of command," Valerie replied. First there was the queen, then the ministers who answered directly to her. The ministers were her personal advisors and responsible for overseeing their own seasons. They ensured that work was done to satisfaction and on time for delivery at the beginning of each new season.

To accomplish this, each talent guild working to complete a particular season answered to that season's respective minister. The individual who reported to them were the talent guild overseers. Each was a member of their own talent guild and were very good at time, project and personnel management.

Many talent guilds had sub talents with fairies who specialized in a particular area of that talent. Examples included Butterfly Wranglers who were a sub talent of the animal fairy guild and the Leaf Painters who were a sub talent of the garden fairy guild. Each sub talent had its own overseer who answered to the guild overseer. This meant that sometimes a guild overseer reported to more than one minister at the same time depending on which sub talent was involved. Because leaf painters changed the colors of the leaves to autumn hues, a Garden Talent Guild overseer might report to the Minister of Summer with news of the latest summer preparations and then provided information to the Minister of Autumn on the progress of the Leaf Painters.

"Are there any exceptions to this hierarchy?" Spencer asked Valerie.

"Yes, that would be Fairy Mary," Valerie replied. "She is Queen Clarion's special projects supervisor."

"Special projects? What kind of special projects would this Fairy Mary be put in charge of?"

"Dances and parties," she replied. "Also seasonal celebrations and the Pixie Hollow Games in which all the talents from all the seasons participate," Valerie replied.

Lydia stood and addressed the judge directly. "Your Honor, is there any point to this line of questioning?"

"I'm wondering the same thing," he said. "Is there a conclusion somewhere on the horizon, Mr. Spencer?"

"Yes, Your Honor," he told him. "I'm getting to it."

"Please be quick about it," the judge ordered.

District Attorney Spencer turned his attention back to Valerie, his eyes met hers hoping to see fear. Instead there was resolve, almost to the point of arrogance. That, he believed, would be her undoing.

Spencer asked a few more questions about Pixie Hollow and Never Land. Touching on basic subjects such as what celebrations the alleged fairies participated in. When Valerie got to the Autumn Revelry he stopped her and asked about some specifics.

"Every eight years the blue moon rises over Never Land," she explained. "A moonstone is mounted on a scepter to capture the rays of the blue moon which are then transmuted into Blue Pixie Dust. The dust feeds and replenishes the Pixie Dust Tree and is also used to increase the yield of yellow dust every day."

"This scepter sounds like something that would have to be crafted," Spencer commented. "Do the Tinkers make it each time?"

"Every guild gets a chance," Valerie replied.

"What about your guild?" Spencer asked.

"We got ours a few blue moons ago."

"What about the Tinker Guild," Spencer responded, seeking clarification.

"Yes, they had their turn over one hundred years ago, during the end of what you would call the 19th century."

"I see, and was it a group effort?"

"No, one person from the guild is given the task of making the scepter."

"Who was selected from the Tinker Guild?"

"Tinker Bell," Valerie replied.

"Did she have any problems?"

"No, in fact her design was revolutionary."

"Really? Please explain."

"The greatest amount of surface area of the moonstone must be exposed to the light of the Blue Moon to transmute the greatest amount of Blue Pixie Dust. Tinker Bell broke the moonstone into several parts and vastly increased the surface area. She used a diamond to redirect the light of the Blue Moon into each shard. The result was a record yield of blue dust."

"That is very interesting, tell me a little about the first time you met Tinker Bell," Spencer requested of her.

Valerie relayed the events of Tinker Bell's arrival and their first full meeting. Tink surprised her while she was collecting pollen for the mainland. Valerie, who was still going by the name Vidia much to Spencer's aggravation, disliked her immediately.

"Why?"

"She had a brighter talent glow," Valerie told him, explaining what a talent glow meant. "I couldn't accept that I wasn't the most talented fairy in all of Pixie Hollow any more. My superior talent made me feel important in Pixie Hollow. I hated that she took that away from me."

"What did you do about it?"

Tinker Bell had become fascinated with the mainland, but at the time Tinkers did not go to the mainland because they had no purpose there. It wasn't a written law, but because no tinker ever expressed interest in going it became accepted that they were not allowed to visit the world of humans. It became a rule purely by accident. Tink, though, was desperate to visit the mainland and tried to change her talent, but she failed miserably every time.

"She came to me and I offered to help, in my own way."

"In what way?" Spencer asked, seeking more details.

It was suggested that capturing the sprinting thistles would allow her to become a Garden Fairy. In truth, Valerie admitted that she had set her up to fail. It was hoped the failure would be so spectacular that Tinker Bell would never threaten Valerie's position as strongest talent.

"You wanted to break her? Crush her spirit?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Did you want to break her or not?" Spencer pressed.

"Yes. Yes I did," she answered directly with a "There I said it, are you satisfied" undercurrent in her tone of voice.

"But you are friends now?"

"Yes, we are."

"How did that come about?"

"It was when Tinker Bell met Lizzy during her first visit to Summer Camp. I…, uh…, sort of tried to teach her a lesson to stay away from humans and instead she got trapped in a little house Lizzy had made. Her father was a scientist and I was afraid he might experiment on her and then come looking for the rest of us."

"What did you do?"

"I flew back and told the others what happened. Well, I left out the part about what I did. We all mounted a rescue attempt and found out that Tinker Bell had made friends with the human girl. We got slowed down because it started to rain and we can't fly if our wings are wet."

"How does that work, exactly? Being unable to fly with wet wings?"

"Our wings absorb the water, they become too heavy to help us gain lift or move through the air," she explained. "If one of us falls into water, we could drown. The wings become so heavy they will drag a fairy to his or her death."

"Interesting. Was Tinker Bell afraid now that she had been captured by a human?"

"At first she was, according to what I learned later," Valerie answered. "The saving grace was that Lizzy was obsessed with fairies, she was a true believer and only wanted to learn about us, not treat us like a science experiment. Her father, Martin, _was_ a scientist and wanted to bring Tinker Bell to his peers. I stopped him, but got caught and Tink wound up rescuing me. I guess that's when I learned how wrong I was about her. She was the first person in centuries to put her life on the line for me. That was when I stopped treating her as a rival and started being her friend."

"Is this going to go on forever?" Lydia said, jumping in.

"Time to wrap it up, Mr. Spencer," the judge ordered.

"Of course." Spencer went to his associates, one of whom handed him three DVD cases, which the D. A. showed to the judge. "The stories you have just heard all sound very fascinating, but they are fabrications. Not of her own damaged mind, but of a group of story writers in California and animators in Asia. These are not life experiences Ms. Kensington has been telling us. No, they are in fact the plots of these three movies."

Albert Spencer showed the three DVD cases to Valerie. "Do these look familiar to you?" he asked, a smug smirk on his face.

**~O~**

Vidia took hold of them and looked intently at each one. Fear and confusion swept across her face. On each cover were depictions of Tinker Bell with her name emblazoned on each one. The first was simply titled _Tinker Bell._ The second, _Tinker Bell and The Lost Treasure_. The last was _Tinker Bell and The Great Fairy Rescue._ A stylized image of Lizzy accompanied a still of the boat Clank and Bobble had devised.

"What are these?" she asked Mr. Spencer.

"Don't play dumb with us, Ms. Kensington, you've been found out," he told her, nearly frothing at the mouth. "Did you honestly expect us to not notice that everything you've said here today is a lie? It's all here where any child to watch them, stories about Tinker Bell, Vidia, Queen Clarion, Rosetta and oh so many more."

Spencer pushed in close to her, "Now tell us the truth. You aren't a fast fairy, you are Valerie Kensington."

"That's fast flying fairy. My name is Vidia and I don't know what these are or why Tinker Bell's face is on them."

**~O~**

Spencer stood erect and smiled. He was actually hoping she would deny this claim. Two bailiffs brought in an LCD television / DVD Player combo. He turned on the system and opened up the first case, "I'll gladly play these for you. For all of us to see. Or you could confess now and save yourself the humiliation."

"I don't know what you are talking about," she continued.

"Have it your way." Spencer loaded the first DVD and started the playback.

"Objection!" Lydia Van Buren yelled. "How long is this going to take?"

"Overruled, Ms. Van Buren," the judge instantly replied. "I'm curious to see where this is going."

As the player spun up and previews began to play, Spencer lowered the volume and waited for Valerie to crack. He was sure she would have no choice but to admit her deception. He was surprised that she did not. Instead, she appeared both curious and confused. There was also fear in her face, but not from being found out. Instead he read it as fear of the unknown. Fear of something as strange and incongruous as to be soul shaking.

Spencer wasn't sure if this was just great coaching on the part of Van Buren or genuine fear of what she was about to see, but he decided to ask one more question to further convince the judge. "Ms. Vidia, do the fairies of this Pixie Hollow have a unique language?"

"Yes," she answered him.

"What does it sound like?"

"To humans it sounds like the jingling of bells," Valerie told him.

"Can you speak it to us right now?"

Valerie lowered her head a bit, "No. And I can't understand why I can't."

"Is there a written component?"

"Yes."

"Can you give us a demonstration of this written fairy language?"

"No, I can't. I've tried and for some reason I cannot write my own language."

"I see. And are your memories of Pixie Hollow in fairy language?"

It was obvious she had not thought about that question before. Her eyes moved about as she considered his question. A look emerged on her face that matched her answer. "No. No it's all in English. I don't understand why, they should be in fairy language."

"Thank you, Ms. Kensington." Spencer spun around and began the first movie.

The familiar logo of Walt Disney Studios presented itself on the television screen. A streak of light leaving behind a shimmering trail flew over the castle in a large arc. "Does that remind you of anything, Ms. Kensington?" Spencer asked the young woman in the witness box.

"No, should it?"

"You don't recognize Tinker Bell flying over Cinderella's castle?" It was obvious to everyone else in the room. The streak of light was Tinker Bell leaving behind a trail of shimmering fairy dust. It had been a staple of the Disney franchise for decades.

"Oh come now, Valerie, I'm sure you've seen that at the beginning of every Walt Disney film."

She possessed a confused look. "Who is Walt Disney?"

There were a few groans and murmured chuckles in the courtroom in response to that statement. Everyone know who Walt Disney was. No child could grow up in America and not know him or his work. A legacy that spanned decades beginning with a mouse and led to the first full length animated film in history. Fairy tales were plundered and reworked to fit his family friendly vision of animated fair. In some cases, Walt Disney movies became the way most fairy tales were remembered in the national consciousness, even if they only vaguely resembled the stories upon which they were based.

Valerie, though, was feigning being oblivious to this long history. At least that was how Spencer saw it.

**~O~**

Vidia sat back and watched as the first images of the movie played out on the screen. She noticed that they didn't appear natural. "What kind of movie is this?"

"Its computer animated," Spencer replied.

"Computer..., what?"

"Just keep watching," he instructed. "In a few seconds none of that will matter."

It was a foreboding statement that left Vidia feeling nervous. Watching the film progress she was a taken aback as the story seemed to involve fairies. It correctly described how fairies were born from a baby's first laugh. Then, the laugh was carried away on a dandelion seed. Seconds later she was blindsided by the first major shock.

The name TINKER BELL splashed across the screen. Anxiety filled her heart adding to her fear and deepening Vidia's confusion.

Spencer, the man who had been interrogating her, smiled triumphantly, but said nothing. He simply watched her, like a predator eyeing its prey.

Seconds later, Vidia received a second and far more jarring shock. As the dandelion seed floated its way towards an enormous maple tree a fairy in purple clothing pushed it along, guiding it to its destination.

Vidia nearly fell out of her seat. "THAT'S ME!" she yelled, frightened out of her mind. "That's me as a fairy. Those are my clothes, my wings... and THAT'S THE PIXIE DUST TREE! How did you do that? Where did this come from?"

"Please remain silent Ms. Kensington," the judge told her.

She sat down, her heart and breathing accelerating with each passing minute. Vidia did not think to use this as proof of her argument. The image of herself, while mostly accurate, was slightly waxy looking and lacked certain distinctive features like skin texture. She could have pointed out how similar she looked to what was being shown on the screen. Instead, she was consumed with terror. Fear born from the realization that she was dealing with me a more powerful magic than she had ever anticipated.

Vidia sat down, her heart and breathing raced. She was confronted with the mostly accurate portrayal of life in Pixie Hollow. The dandelion seed was transformed into Tinker Bell by the magic of the yellow pixie dust which Terence drizzled on her. She watched herself sneer at Tinker Bell when the whirlwind that represented the fast flying guild fall apart in the little blonde's hands. She cringed remembering that moment. It was a time in her life she regretted.

There was a twinge of rivalry that swelled up in her throat as she was forced to relive the incredibly brilliant talent glow of the hammer which represented the tinker guild. The movie played on, revealing every aspect of life in Pixie Hollow that the fairies had tried so hard to keep secret. Now here it was, on display for anyone to see.

The wingless fast flyer twisted and flinched often in her chair as the film revealed in detail the first meeting between Tinker Bell and herself and how badly it went. Later it showed Tinker Bell's many failed attempts to change her talent, though it was played more for laughs. She also witnessed her friends in this "movie." Silvermist, Rosetta, Iridessa and Fawn along with herself being depicted in this entertainment.

Tink and the other girls had informed her of just how sad and dispiriting each failure had been for the little blonde fairy.

Then came the infamous Sprinting Thistle incident. Vidia sunk into her chair as she watched with horror at just how spiteful she had been to Tinker Bell that day. Yet her regrets never took her mind from the fact that their world, their entire lives and even their thoughts had been captured and turned into entertainment for humans.

Even before the movie ended, the sheer terror in Vidia's heart overwhelmed her. She bolted out of her chair and cried, "How can you have this? This is our world, our lives. Where did this come from?"

**~O~**

"Sit down, Ms. Kensington!" the judge bellowed.

"NO! Pixie Hollow is a secret. No one is supposed to know about it, how did you get all of this? How could you possibly know?"

"If you do not contain yourself, Ms. Kensington I will hold you in contempt," the judge told her.

"Valerie, please keep quiet," Lydia told her.

"Honey, sweetie, it will be okay," Claire told her, trying to calm the agitated girl.

"No, it's not okay," Valerie replied, stark terror in her voice. "Humans aren't supposed to know about our home, about us."

"You told Dr. Griffiths and her daughter," Spencer told her, sensing a massive contradiction.

"They learned about us by accident," Valerie said. "We were lucky that they were trustworthy."

"And then you told us," Spencer added.

**~O~**

Vidia didn't answer. Her breathing increased and became shallow. "What kind of magic is this," she stammered. This was the first time that Vidia considered just how powerful an adversary she was facing. Plucking the fairies from Pixie Hollow, transporting them across time and space, turning them into humans and then taking their memories required great magic.

Now their entire lives were on display for everyone to see in this "movie." Their lives, their home even their very thoughts were not safe. The magic she was facing was far greater than she had ever anticipated. And anyone in this room could be the magician who conceived of that horror.

Not since first waking in the hospital did Vidia feel so helpless… and so defeneless. She was trapped and outmatched in a way she could not fathom. Vidia panicked.

"Sit down, Ms. Kensington," the judge ordered. She did not comply. Her face, her breathing, spoke of unbridled fear.

"Sit! Down!" the judge ordered again.

"Calm down, Valerie," Lyria instructed.

"MY NAME IS VIDIA!" she yelled at her. "YOU KNOW THAT! YOU'RE ONE OF US, LYRIA!"

"A name found in the second film," Spencer announced.

"What!?"

"Enough! Valerie Kensington you are in contempt of this court," the judge yelled. "Sit down as ordered!"

Beads of sweat poured down Vidia's face, plastering her hair to her forehead and cheeks. The judge called for bailiffs to take control of her, but as they approached she leapt from the witness stand and tried to run. Lyria, Clarion and the bailiffs all tried to stop her. The doors were closed and locked to keep Vidia from leaving the room.

No matter where she turned someone tried to block her way. They backed her into a corner where Vidia found she had no means of escape. Panic, turmoil, despair, confusion and hopelessness. All these emotions ravaged her heart and her mind as she sunk to the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs. "What magic is this?" she mumbled to herself as Vidia rocked back and forth sinking deeper and deeper into her own fears.

**~O~**

Claire pushed her way through to her daughter. Her baby girl. She held her tightly in a loving, motherly embrace. "Everything will be fine," she whispered. "It's okay, sweetie, everything will be fine."

* * *

**Whew, another chapter in the trial is done. I hope everyone has enjoyed the story so far, please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading.**


	83. Chapter 83

**Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"May I?" Dr. Hopper carefully asked of Mrs. Kensington. "I would like to examine her."

Claire glanced at her frightened daughter. Her body was quivering like a leaf and she was on the verge of tears. Valerie's fingers were getting cold and she was starting to perspire through her lovely blouse. Claire nodded, releasing the young woman from her grasp and standing aside for the psychologist.

"Vidia?" he asked her in a soft and sympathetic voice. He used her chosen name rather than her given one to get through. "Vidia, it's me, Dr. Hopper. Listen to my voice. Everything is going to be alright. You have nothing to fear."

The girl carefully raised her head and looked him in the eye. She summed him up quickly before answering. "How is this possible?" she asked. "How could our home, our secrets, be such common knowledge?"

Hopper turned to Spencer and ordered him to turn off the video. Spencer replied with his usual antagonistic tone. "Your Honor, this outburst is nothing more than cheap theatrics."

"No, it's not," Dr. Hopper replied. His meek and quite voice barely pierced the noise in the courtroom, yet the defiant authority in his tone was as loud as a thunderclap. He stood up and strode to the bench. "There are certain physical reactions that cannot be consciously controlled, they are involuntary and I'm seeing them manifest in Valerie. In her mind this fear is very real."

"She has been well trained," Spencer replied dismissively.

"Can you constrict blood flow to your fingers making them feel cold to the touch, Mr. Spencer?"

"Are you giving testimony, Doctor?" he asked, "then you are out of turn."

"He's right, Doctor," the judge told Hopper. "I must disallow anything you've said until you are sworn in and called to the witness stand."

"Fine and I'll have plenty to talk about," the psychologist replied. "But I would recommend a break to allow Ms. Kensington to recover."

The judge nodded and called for a recess to allow everyone time to calm down.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid Georgian Period on the Mainland)

Almost a week had passed since Vidia had witnessed the frail state of her guild mate in the hospital. Since that time she had barely come out of her home in the trunk of the Sour Plum Tree, emerging only for the occasional bit of food or water. The flyer never reported for work and preferred to not talk to anyone. The only update she had received on Wisp's condition was that she might not be able to walk, fly or use her arms ever again.

The shriek of emotional pain which she had initially felt upon laying eyes on the crippled flyer shot through her heart once again upon receiving that news. Deep down inside Vidia tried, alternately, to blame herself and then to disavow all responsibility. After all it was Wisp who was so desperate to prove herself the best that she had to put herself in harm's way.

_But why was she so desperate? Because of me_, Vidia would tell herself in her thoughts. The guilt kept her stomach in knots and her mind couldn't let go. At times, she would just break down and cry, unable to contain her emotions a second longer.

**~O~**

A knock on the door woke Vidia from her uncomfortable sleep. She had been dreaming of the day Wisp was flitting about the British troops who were headed to the colonies to put down the rebellion. She was so carefree then.

The sound of knocking once again reverberated through her home. "Go away!" she yelled, pulling the covers over her head, trying to insulate herself from the sounds that were disturbing her self-imposed isolation.

Now a voice called through the door. It was soft, but authoritative. "Prepare the receive Her Royal Majesty, Clarion, Queen of the Never Fairies." Viola, the queen's personal summoner and body guard.

Vidia wanted no visitors, not even from the queen, but she had no choice. One does not decline a visit from the royal personage for any reason. When the door opened the glorious visage of the beautiful fairy queen greeted Vidia's eyes. Vidia, however, was barely dressed. Her hair was loose, knotted and in a mess. Dark circles were present under her eyes. A stark contrast to the always properly attired and graceful Clarion.

"Your Highness," she greeted, bowing to her ruler. "How may I be of service?" It was a hollow question, she had no intention of doing anything.

"I came to visit my most accomplished fast flyer," Clarion said, speaking with a kindly voice. "I am worried because you have not been at your post these last several days."

Vidia stood aside and gestured for Clarion to enter. The queen sat down in a chair while Vidia sat in her bed. The thin and soft mattress called to Vidia, beckoning her to return to slumber, but she had to ignore it while Clarion was in her domicile.

The door closed with Viola staying outside guarding the door. This was then to be a private conversation.

"You will be pleased to know that Wisp is recovering from her injuries," Clarion said breaking the uncomfortable silence. "She is now able to move her fingers and there is feeling in her toes."

Vidia nodded, but said nothing; not even offering her queen a spot of tea, a significant gaffe. Clarion, though, did not point this out. Instead she continued in her motherly way. "Wisp takes full responsibility," Clarion added. "You should not blame yourself for this."

"Why not, I pushed her into it," Vidia finally spoke. "I had to be the best, better than her. Better than anyone."

"Yes, but Wisp took it upon herself to engage in behavior that she knew to be dangerous," Clarion told her. "She proceeded without caution or concern, a personality trait she has repeatedly demonstrated since arriving in Pixie Hollow."

"And I should have considered that before outracing her in The Kessel Run," Vidia replied.

"This is who she is, Vidia," Clarion advised. "With Wisp it wasn't a matter of 'if' but 'when.' If it wasn't you it assuredly would have been someone else. There is a fine line between healthy competition and obsession and Wisp willingly crossed that line."

Vidia did not immediately respond to this. Before she took her leave the queen summarized herself with these words. "Vidia, you may have started her on this path, but she chose to continue down it herself. Always remember that."

Once again Vidia remained silent. Clarion glided to the door, knocking softly to indicate to Viola she was ready to leave. The door swung open, but before she could leave the room Vidia softly asked, "Will she be able to fly again?"

"There is some hope that she can."

Vidia's shoulders slumped at this answer.

"Better to have some hope than none at all," Clarion added before leaving.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Honey. Sweetie, it's okay," Claire said trying to reassure Valerie. "It's just a movie. It can't hurt you."

Valerie had finally been coaxed to her feet. She was moved to a bench seat in the hall where she could sit and compose herself. Tina had brought her a glass of water while Claire and Dr. Hopper tried to calm her nerves. It wasn't going well.

"That was our home," she told Claire. "Don't you remember any of it?"

"Sweetheart, it's just a movie. A work of fiction for little girls."

Valerie looked at her, horrified by that answer. "You're Queen Clarion. Look in the mirror, don't you see the resemblance?"

Claire blushed a little at the comparison. "The one with the beautiful wings and shimmering dress?"

Valerie nodded.

"She is quite lovely, but I look nothing like her," Claire replied.

"What? Yes! You do," Valerie insisted. She then pointed to Tina and declared that she looked very much like Tinker Bell. "Did anyone notice that Desiree resembles Rosetta or that Clarence and Terence looked similar? And what about me?" Valerie asked. "Didn't you notice how much I look like Vidia in that movie?"

"Actually I thought she resembled Megara from _Hercules_," Tina stated. "Kind of eerie, too."

Claire shushed her youngest. "Sweetheart just because Tina has blonde hair doesn't mean she looks like Tinker Bell."

"But she does," Valerie insisted. "How could you not notice? Dr. Hopper, you saw it didn't you?"

**~O~**

Archie Hopper had been standing to the side listening to the conversation. He had been very interested in her responses. Now that he was brought into the conversation, Archie stepped closer and answered that there could have been a resemblance.

Claire was shocked by his answer. He pulled her to the side and whispered that the on screen characters were just non-descript enough to be associated with any number of people who shared those same basic physical traits like hair or eye color. He reasoned that Valerie was associating certain characters with people that surrounded her based on those simple traits. He offered as an example the round, cherubic face and blonde hair that Tina and Tinker Bell shared.

"Yes, Doctor, but she thinks she is this Vidia character from the movie and I just don't see the resemblance," Claire protested.

"No, but some physical characteristics are there such as hair and eye color," Archie told her. "She could have just as easily associated Ruby with Vidia as they share similar physical qualities and personalities."

A bailiff arrived to inform them that court was about to resume. Lydia came by and asked of Doctor Hopper if he thought Valerie was in any condition to continue. He said she was and the small group quietly returned to the court room.

**~O~**

When court was brought back into order Spencer insisted that the other two films be played in full. "The court must see that all of Valerie's testimony has been lifted entirely from these films," he said, his voice in a full throated rumble.

Lydia tried to prevent this by stating that he had already made his point. Spencer countered that everything the court had seen was just a cleverly staged stunt organized by the defense to flout the law and undermine Storybrooke's court system.

After a moment of contemplation the judge agreed, allowing Spencer to enter all of his evidence into court for the bench to consider. Lydia was quietly outraged, but bit her tongue. Soon it would be time for her to cross examine. Valerie's breakdown in the courtroom was a huge boon to Lydia's case.

However, to put the nail in the coffin of Spencer's argument she would need the MRI images. She quickly reasoned that as long as the movies were playing it afforded the little girl at the hospital that much more time to recover that much needed evidence.

_Soon_, she prayed. _Get here soon._

**~O~**

The hospital computers had been under assault from millions of home PC's, Macintosh computers and video game platforms controlled by Penny and her friends. The encryption had succumbed yesterday morning, but Penny felt the crushing weight of each second that ticked by. The hearing had already begun and while the RAID Array hard drives were spinning frantically, she was no closer to recovering the lost MRI files for Valerie Kensington than she was when her program began digging through the layers of gibberish that had been used to erase the network storage system.

She looked worriedly at her peer, Allen the Network Administrator who had been as persistent as she was at trying to locate the images that were so sensitive to the court hearing. Her eyelids drooped as lack of sleep was catching up to her. Neither soda, coffee nor No Doz could stop exhaustion and sleepiness from overwhelming her mind and body.

Nothing until her computer chimed at her. She looked up and tried to read what was on screen. She had to rub her eyes to wipe away the bleary vision. This time the alert message was clear as day.

"I GOT IT!" she yelled triumphantly. "WE GOT THE SCANS! ALL OF THEM!"

Instantly her energy level soared as the files were being transferred to an SDHC Memory Card to transport them to the courthouse.

Allen took his phone and tapped out a text message. _Files recovered, get here soon._

* * *

**Yes, finally, the next chapter. Sorry things have been so slow on the story front. My real life is very busy right now.**

**If you like the story so far please let me know. Thanks.**


	84. Chapter 84

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia watched the films play with a twisted stomach. Her one notable reaction came when the pocket watch sprang open and crushed the moonstone. "HEY! She never told us it was an accident!" she said, shocked by the events depicted. The judge had to gavel her silent.

**~O~**

Lydia found the mild outburst to be in her favor. Although it did not gain any sympathy with the judge, she hoped it would be another natural act that would reveal how much Valerie had changed from her previous self. By contrast, Spencer merely grunted his disbelief.

At the end of the third movie the judge called a recess for lunch. When Ms. Van Buren turned to look at Dr. Hopper to confer she noticed that one of the two men who had accompanied Mr. Gold was no longer at his side. Her eyes swept the room looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. She briefly asked herself where he had gone, but put it aside to speak with Dr. Hopper before he left for the lunch break.

**~O~**

At Granny's Diner, Valerie had barely touched her food. Everyone could see how shaken up she was. Her body shivered with terror. The grilled cheese sandwich she had ordered had only two bites taken from it and she drank three glasses of iced tea.

When asked by Lydia what she thought about the movies seen in the court house she responded by asking how _any_ human could know so much about Pixie Hollow and the fairies that lived there. She did, however, note a few minor inconsistencies.

"Winter fairies were never at Tinker Bell's arrival ceremony," she said. "They couldn't cross the border until many seasons later." Valerie also noted that Tink, Bobble and Clank could not have flown into the Winter Woods and seen the winter fairies returning from the mainland. Also missing was her contributions to the Autumn Revelry that was presented in the second film. She and other flyers were responsible for cleaning the open air gallery where the audience watched and also to assist with some of the decorations. "All those bails of wheat you saw tied up, I did that."

Tina looked up at her mother. She wanted to say something snarky to her older sibling, but the pained look on Claire's face was more than enough to convince her to remain silent.

"I just don't understand," Valerie mumbled. "How could they know? And with so much detail?"

Valerie then stared at Tina and grimaced. "And why did you let everyone think that breaking the moonstone was your bright idea, Tinker Bell, when it was just an accident?"

"Hey, don't look at me," Tina responded, somewhat confused. "I'm still in high school, remember?"

"Don't worry," Lydia told Valerie. "Once I can start cross examining you we'll take this hearing in a whole different direction."

**~O~**

Despite the terror in her heart, Vidia felt strange having to explain events that everyone at this table had experienced firsthand. She had to remind herself that some strange force had robbed every one of their memories, but that could not change her perception that this was a most surreal experience.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid-Georgian Period on the Mainland)

Vidia finally worked up the courage to visit Wisp in the hospital. She had been feeling very sorry for herself when she thought this was entirely her fault. Queen Clarion had been helpful in putting some of this in perspective. Wisp WAS reckless and overly competitive, a very bad combination. Yet even with this knowledge Vidia still held herself partly responsible. After all, even someone like Wisp needed a trigger to set her on this trajectory and Vidia had provided it.

The queen had told her that it was only a matter of time before this happened and that anyone could have been involved. But was that really true? After all, no one else in Pixie Hollow could have challenged Wisp like she could. Of all the fast flyers only Wisp and Vidia were in a league of their own. Clarion was right that it was only a matter of time, but she was wrong that it could have been anyone. It could only have been her. Vidia, Daughter of the Wind.

_Humph, Stepdaughter of the Wind was more like it._

**~O~ **

At the door to Wisp's room Vidia froze. Her guilt kept replaying these self-defeating thoughts in her mind. She wanted to run away, go back home and hide again. Vidia had come this far, she forced herself to keep going. Inside Wisp was lying face down in a specially made bed crafted by the tinker fairies. Vidia had to lie down and slip underneath to talk to her guild mate.

"Wisp?" she gently greeted, bitter bile seeming to rush from her stomach to the back of her throat.

The blonde flyer opened her eyes. Her lips curled up into a smile. "You're here," she barely managed, but with clear enthusiasm. "I was wondering when you would show up."

"I'm sorry, Wisp. This is all my fault," Vidia confessed. "I should never have..."

"Don't feel sorry, Vidia," Wisp broke in. "I'm the only one who is at fault. You pushed me, but what I did was of my own doing. You told me not to be so cavalier and I didn't listen. Now I'm paying for it."

Wisp motioned with her eyes and head for Vidia to look to the side. "I'm getting better. See? I can move my fingers, my toes and I can twitch my wings if I try hard enough. The doctors think I'll be able to fly again in a few seasons. Isn't that great news?"

"Yeah, it is wonderful news," Vidia replied with a weak smile. She didn't know how Wisp could be so upbeat in this condition. Then again, there were worse outcomes. Maybe this incident scared her straight. Maybe her cavalier attitude was exactly what was needed right now.

"Good, because when I get better I look forward to more great races between us," Wisp said with a gleeful smile.

"Uh…"

"Oh don't worry, Vids, I won't do anything stupid next time. But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying to outfly you."

"Oh really?!" Vidia responded with a smile. "Well bring it on, blondie, because I'm going to kick your wings in." She cringed the instant those words came from her mouth. "Sorry."

"Don't be, I want you to try your hardest, because I always will."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

When court reconvened Lydia began cross examining Valerie. She asked her about the movies she had seen and asked for her thought on their accuracy. The raven haired girl replied that the movies seemed like condensed versions of what really happened. She also noted that the depiction of Winter Fairies at Tinker Bell's arrival was inaccurate.

"Why is that?" Van Buren asked.

"Winter Fairies couldn't cross the border," Valerie answered.

"What border?"

Winter Fairies could not cross into the warm seasons because their wings would shrivel and break. Warm fairies could not enter the Winter Woods because their wings would freeze and snap. Meeting at the border was the only option. Friendships were formed there, members of the same guild would share information and new ideas were exchanged.

"Oh well now that sounds awfully convenient," Spencer groaned, trying to undercut Valerie's testimony. "How did this Pixie Hollow place manage to divide its population?"

"Your Honor, the prosecution has had its turn to pose questions," Lydia said addressing the judge.

"Indeed. Please contain yourself, Mr. Spencer, this is not a free for all."

"Thank you." Out of turn or not, the question had been asked and was left hanging. Lydia decided to address it by asking Valerie to provide clarification.

"No one is entirely certain," she replied. "Some believe that Pixie Hollow began this way, while others believe it started as a whole but was split into two parts at some point in our past. Some think that a bitter love triangle and black magic caused our world to be divided in this way."

"Why are there no records?"

"All of this occurred before fairies had developed a written language," was her response. "Our history was passed down through an oral tradition. But stories change as each new storyteller embellishes or alters facts for dramatic effect. A great deal of our own past is lost forever."

"Very well, please go one about this border," Lydia instructed.

One day, a then young Queen Clarion and Lord Milori met at the border and soon became utterly enchanted. They pursued a romantic relationship and met every sunset at the boundary between Spring and Winter. Their love deepened and each wanted to explore the other's world. Clarion resisted the siren song of the Winter Woods, but Milori defied the risk and crossed into the warm seasons. He stayed too long and broke a wing rendering him flightless.

"Couldn't someone just fix the broken wing?" Van Buren asked.

"A broken wing cannot be fixed," Valerie stated. "Pixie Hollow has no medicine or magic that can repair two halves of a damaged wing."

When Lord Milori lost his wing Queen Clarion feared that others might suffer the same fate. She declared from that day onward no fairy or sparrow man from either side could cross the border. Believing that temptation would eventually get the better of someone, just as it had with Milori, she also closed all the borders and forbade any further face to face interactions. This effectively isolated the Winter Woods from the warm seasons. All communications were done through formal channels and were restricted to mission critical purposes only. Friendships were lost, guilds were torn apart and Queen Clarion and Lord Milori had to say goodbye to each other forever.

Or so they thought.

"What does that mean, exactly?" Lydia asked.

Valerie detailed how Tinker Bell learned she had a fraternal twin sister in the Winter Woods. She went on to explained how Tink broke the rules to visit her, the particulars of the snow making machine, how it nearly froze all of Pixie Hollow and the discovery that frost could insulate a warm fairies wings against the cold of the Winter Woods thus opening up the border for first time in centuries. She also spoke of how Tinker Bell put her own well-being aside to restore the balance to the seasons by flying into the Winter Woods where her wing froze and cracked.

"Tinker Bell is the first and only fairy who was able to restore a broken wing," Valerie said. "She and her sister share a special bond that allowed Periwinkle to repair Tink's damaged wing."

"No one else can repair a wing this way?" Lydia asked, seeking clarification.

"No, no one else," Valerie answered.

Of equal importance was that Queen Clarion and Lord Milori were able to resume their relationship. Although she has never been very demonstrative everyone could see that the queen was very happy with this development.

"Was any of that in the three movies you watched?" Lydia asked.

"No," Valerie replied.

Lydia made sure to call attention to the amount of consistent detail in Valerie's statement. Liars tend to be vague to avoid being caught in their deception. Spencer though harrumphed and said that Valerie could afford to add detail because there was no way to verify her statements.

"Perhaps, but it does poke holes in Mr. Spencer's argument that Ms. Kensington has fashioned her memories entirely from three movies," Lydia said in rebuttal. She then asked Valerie to point out other persons on Storybrooke whom she recognized from Pixie Hollow.

Valerie instantly identified Hartley Winter as Lord Milori, the Queen's beau. Desiree was Rosetta the garden talent. Workers for hire Paul and Ben were the two sparrow man tinkers Bobble and Clank. "You are Lyria, a performing talent," Valerie said directly to Lydia Van Buren. Then she said that Penny, the little girl hired to break the computers was Tinker Bell's sister, Periwinkle.

"You mean recover the lost data on the hospital computers?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Valerie replied. "I have no idea what any of that stuff does."

"Is there anyone else you recognize?"

Valerie looked up again into the gallery, or what remained of it. "Yes. Although one of them is not here right now."

"Who is it?"

Valerie pointed to a man seated next to Mr. Gold. "He and another person who was here earlier are Swift and Festus. Two fast flyers who led a movement to try and overthrow the queen." She gave the details of how Swift and Festus acted as mentors to make her into one of their acolytes in their attempt to overthrow Queen Clarion and take control of Pixie Hollow.

"Why?" Lydia asked her

Valerie paused and seemed visibly upset when she began to speak, as if recalling painful memories that she had hoped to keep buried forever.

"They… they believed that Fast Flyers were naturally superior," she summarized. "Swift and Festus had intended to revoke all the rights and freedoms of the other guilds and establish a new government under the rule of the Fast Flyers." The young woman gave detailed accounts of what happened including how she was led to believe that Festus loved her and she loved him in return. When their true intentions were made known to her, including how they plotted for her to become the guild overseer under their control, she felt fully betrayed.

**~O~**

Upon hearing this, Mr. Gold turned his gaze to the young man seated next to him. He gave the man a trusting smile as if saying he believed none of the young girl's testimony, though deep down Mr. Gold was indeed quite concerned.

**~O~**

Valerie continued and identified the previous judge as Fairy Kelly. When the insurrection was found out, Queen Clarion banished Swift and Festus for ten years. She had hoped that their time away would humble them and that they would be able to reintegrate into fairy society. Upon returning ten years later they claimed to have had a change of heart.

When Fairy Morrison, the guild overseer at the time was killed saving her, Kelly took over as the head of the talent guild. It turned out he was a plant to ensure that when Swift and Festus did return they could resume their plotting against the crown. "They were found out and all three were banished from Pixie Hollow forever along with some of their more dedicated followers."

"Sounds like a traumatic experience," Lydia commented.

"It was," she replied. "I burned with resentment and anger and could not put my trust or faith in anyone for many decades."

Ms. Van Buren then posed a few more questions about Never Land and Pixie Hollow to reveal Valerie's depth and detail of her memories. Valerie delivered her words with a conviction that normally comes when someone lives their entire life in such an environment. She knew that world better than some in Storybrooke knew their own town.

Lydia felt assured that this impressed the judge and may have swayed his thinking in her direction. However, when Valerie stepped down, Spencer called another witness: Valerie's mother.

Claire Kensington was to be Lydia's witness testifying to the change in Valerie's personality, however Spencer beat her to it and called up Mrs. Kensington as a hostile witness. Once sworn in he spent no time in zeroing in on a single, direct question. "Why did Valerie run away?"

Claire tried to obfuscate her answer but Spencer would have none of it. He pressed her on the matter, "What was the reason you gave for Valerie disliking you so much that she felt she had to escape?"

He had chosen that word carefully. Escape had a very strong punch that implied more than just the words running away. Claire once again tried to avoid the question, but Spencer had the judge force Claire to provide a direct answer.

With no other choice Claire admitted what she had said to Valerie the other night. Her husband Charlie had wanted children sooner than she felt comfortable. When they could not have a child on their own he looked into adoption. Claire could have asked him to wait, but instead went along with it. Raising a child interfered with her life's ambition, to become an acclaimed and professional musician. She had wanted to play on the biggest stages, but found that raising a child prevented that.

In truth she was mad at herself for not asking Charlie to wait while she pursued her dreams. She took out her frustrations on Valerie, subconsciously treating her as the impediment to her goals and making her feel unloved and unwanted. While giving her testimony, Claire broke down as she had done in Valerie's bedroom. She began to tear up and her voice cracked and wavered while she spoke of her regret. "I did this to her. It was my fault and now I wish I had her back so I could make it up to my little girl."

Lydia wasn't sure if this new information was going to work for her or against her. If the judge decided that Valerie was faking this as retribution then her case was defeated. Now she would need Dr. Hopper's psychological profile of Valerie more than ever. Van Buren needed to prove that when Valerie learned she was unwanted by her own mother, it had a shattering effect on her psyche. Deciding not to cross examine the mother, Lydia called Dr. Hopper as her next witness. Before the good doctor could make his way to the witness stand, Spencer employed one of his little tricks.

"Your Honor, a proper psychological profile takes at minimum four months to conduct," the District Attorney said. "Dr. Hopper has only had one face to face meeting with Ms. Kensington since the accident and his conclusions would hardly constitute a proper evaluation. I ask that Dr. Hopper's psychological profile and subsequent testimony regarding Valerie Kensington based on that profile be disallowed on the grounds that it is incomplete and unreliable."

"What?!" Lydia screeched in disbelief. "Your Honor, this court was convened with great haste, Dr. Hopper has not had the time to perform such an evaluation. I ask that his profile be admitted as it stands."

"Counselor, the D.A. is correct that a proper evaluation takes months, not days," the judge replied. "I cannot allow an incomplete psychological profile into evidence."

That is when Lydia moved for the court hearing be postponed until such time as Dr. Hopper could properly evaluate Valerie Kensington.

"With all due respect, counselor, you've had plenty of time to file such a motion," the judge responded rather nastily.

"I have, multiple times and each was denied by this court." Lydia glared knowingly at Mayor Mills who was concealing a pleased smile.

"I'm sorry, counselor, motion to disallow Dr. Hopper's psychological profile is upheld. This court will continue as planned."

Lydia was furious. One of her strongest weapons had just been taken from her. Without his profile Van Buren's entire case now hinged on only one thing: the MRI images. However, she wondered when or if they would ever come walking through that courtroom door.

* * *

**Whew, sorry it is taking so much time for me to get these chapters up lately. I have many new distractions at home, including the unexpected death of one of my beloved pets this past week. A six year old Border Collie that died from what the vet believed was either a stroke or brain tumor. Hopefully, the next chapter will be ready sooner.**

**Thank you for reading.**


	85. Chapter 85

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Lydia Van Buren might have been robbed of her strongest asset at the moment, but she was not stymied. She was anything if not flexible. One did not survive in the dog eat dog world of law by being stiff and unbending. Though she could not use Dr. Hopper's formal analysis of Valerie she could still use him as an expert witness.

She opened by asking the psychologist about his visits with Valerie prior to the accident. He revealed that she was an angry girl who missed the love and attention her father gave her. He doted on her constantly and embraced his daughter's interests with fervor. Charlie did that for both girls.

"Did her mother do the same?" she asked him pointedly. "Dote on her and embrace Valerie's interests?"

"No, she did not?"

"How did Mrs. Kensington treat her oldest daughter?"

"She discouraged her love of flying," Hopper began. "Claire often compared her unfavorably to Tina, the younger sister."

"Why?"

"Valerie acted differently than Tina," Hopper responded. "Valerie took it to mean Claire loved Tina more."

Van Buren then listed several incidents between Valerie and her mother to illustrate the point. This included the night Claire tore down and threw away all the model airplanes Valerie had hanging in her room. Each of which had been gifts from her father and who often helped her to build them.

"This helped to foster the anger that Valerie had for her mother?" Lydia summarized.

"Correct," Archie answered. "Valerie responded through acts of passive aggression against her own mother in protest. Actions which her mother interpreted as simply the actions of a mean and insensitive young lady who refused to take responsibility for herself."

"But they weren't, were they?"

"No, her actions were cries for help. She wanted her father's love back and she wanted her mother to embrace and dote on her in the same way Mrs. Kensington doted on Tina."

Then Lydia began asking about how Valerie was acting now.

"Objection," Spencer broke in. "Calls for analysis which is incomplete."

"Sustained," the judge concurred. "Avoid calling on any direct analysis of Valerie Kensington, Ms. Van Buren."

Lydia sighed for a moment before continuing. This time, she sought the answers she wanted by asking general questions about persons with severe personality disorders similar to Valerie's. It didn't take long for Spencer to object once again.

"This is not an analysis of Valerie's condition," Lydia explained to the judge. "I'm simply asking questions about this kind of behavior in general."

"Your Honor, she's clearly asking for a direct analysis which has already been disallowed," Spencer countered.

"Analysis of Valerie's condition has been disallowed. Textbook examples and case histories are fair game, Mr. Spencer. You are overruled. Please sit down," the judge ordered. "You may continue, Ms. Van Buren."

Lydia once again questioned the psychologist about the indications of this kind of disorder.

"You did examine Valerie for one day, did you not?"

"Yes."

"What did you observe?"

"Objection," Spencer announced. "Calls for analysis."

"Observation, not psychological analysis," Lydia clarified.

"Overruled, Mr. Spencer," the judge told him. Then he turned his gaze to the attorney for the defense, Van Buren. "I'm giving you a short leash, Counselor. Go too far and I'll shut you down. Understood?"

"Yes. Thank you, Your Honor."

Van Buren returned to her questioning of Dr. Hopper. "What did you observe that day?"

Archie Hopper noted how she wistfully looked out at the sky from the upper story window. She was genuinely confused by the vending machines and by the cafeteria and the food served there. "She couldn't even open a can of soda," Archie noted. "She didn't know how."

He remembered that when they stepped outside she reached out and allowed a dragonfly to land on an outstretched finger. Then Valerie chased, or possibly raced a small group of dragonflies.

"It was as if she had done this before," he noted.

"Objection," Spencer again announced. "Conclusion by analysis."

"Observation and interpretation, not psychological analysis," Lydia defended.

"Sustained," the judge said. "Rephrase your answer, Dr. Hopper."

Archie nodded and explained that she was enjoying the race and clearly wanted to continue when she could no longer follow them.

"Any other recollections, Dr. Hopper?"

"Yes, at the pond she fed some of the ducks," he remembered. "Another bird intervened and she yelled at it before driving it away. She then spoke to the ducks as if she expected them to understand her."

Spencer objected again on the grounds that it was analysis, but Dr. Hopper defended himself saying it was observed behavior. "The way she spoke to them seemed very much like she expected them to understand her words. Just like the characters in the movies we viewed earlier."

"Overruled, Mr. Spencer."

"If a person cannot remember what happened before an event, like say a trauma to the head, but can form new memories what is that called, Doctor?"

"It is known as retrograde amnesia," he said. "Has Valerie displayed this kind of amnesia?"

"Yes, she has."

"She believes she is someone else, is that multiple personality disorder?"

"No," Hopper said. "Dissociative Personality Disorder means more than one personality exists and that they alternate controlling the body. There have been no reports of more than one personality, not even her own, surfacing since she regained consciousness at the hospital."

"Would that be schizophrenia?"

"Valerie has not displayed symptoms of schizophrenia?" Hopper described the various symptoms associated with schizophrenia at the judge's request for more clarification.

"So she has retrograde amnesia and believes she is someone entirely different?"

"Yes."

"What might be a cause?"

"Physical trauma to the brain or a disease can prevent memory recall," he explained. "Psychological trauma could cause a person to create a new personality and personal history in which they reinterpret people and places around them in a manner that is more pleasing or less painful for them."

"A coping mechanism?"

"It's possible," Hopper stated. "Research is always deepening our understanding of the workings of the human brain."

"Her father, who was very positively involved in her life passes away. Valerie also claims that for many years she felt unloved and unwanted by her own mother," Lydia stated. "She was constantly compared to her sister in a negative light, her dreams and ambitions were squelched and connections to her dead father were violently ripped away from her. Then she finds out, in a fit of anger, that her own mother did not want her. Might this be a psychological trauma sufficient to alter her state of mind?"

"It is possible," Hopper responded.

"In conjunction with the physical trauma from the accident?"

"Yes."

"Is it within the realm of possibility that a person in this condition might assume the identity of a fictional character and see the world as the character would?"

"It is with the realm of possibility," Hopper answered.

"Thank you, Doctor. Now on to a different subject. When Valerie watched the movies she had a somewhat adverse reaction."

"That's putting it mildly, but yes."

"How would you describe it?"

"She appeared frightened, as if in terror," he answered.

"What are the physical reactions caused by fear or terror, Doctor Hopper?" she asked outright.

"Well there are certain responses which cannot be duplicated by conscious effort," he responded. "They are involuntary and beyond any ability of the person to duplicate through sheer will."

"Could you describe some of these involuntary responses?"

"Yes. Sweating is one. A second would be blood flow to the capillaries is restricted causing the extremities to become cold. Also elevated heart rate and chills."

"Was she experiencing a moment of fear or terror when watching the first movie?"

"Objection," Spencer howled. "Calls for a conclusion."

"Sustained."

"Did she appear frightened at that moment?" Van Buren rephrased.

"Yes, I think everyone would agree that she appeared most frightened at that moment," Hopper answered.

"And when you examined her afterwards did she display these traits of a person experiencing fear or terror?"

"Yes, she most certainly did," Hopper offered.

"And remind us again of your qualifications," Van Buren asked.

"I don't think we need to be reminded," Spencer said, cutting in. "I'm sure we are all aware of Dr. Hopper's expertise."

"That will be all, Doctor. Thank you." Van Buren sat down, confident that she had backed Spencer into a corner. She had effectively gotten all she wanted from the psychologist and had worked around the roadblock Spencer had erected.

Albert Spencer stood up and began his cross examination. "Doctor, earlier you gave us some symptoms of schizophrenia. Could you review those for us?"

"Yes. Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking or speech patterns, extremely disorganized or abnormal motor function. A person can also appear to show no emotions or speak in a monotone voice."

"What about in teenagers? Are the symptoms different?"

"Yes."

"Please describe them for us."

"In a teenager, schizophrenia could manifest as withdrawing from friends and or family, a drop in their performance at school, trouble sleeping at nights, depressed mood, irritability and even a lack of motivation. Teenagers are also more likely to have hallucinations rather than delusions."

"Has Valerie Kensington displayed most or all of these symptoms? Withdrawing from friends and family, poor performance in school, irritability and lack of motivation?"

"Yes. Yes she has. However, it should be noted that…"

"Thank you, Doctor."

"…these are common teenage problems, as well." Doctor Hopper added.

"Your Honor, I ask that the bench disregard the doctor's last statement," Spencer said, addressing the judge.

"Based on what? That they undermine your case?" Lydia interjected snidely.

"That's enough counselor," the judge admonished Van Buren. "The last statement will not be disregarded, though anyone with a teenager doesn't need a psychologist to know how a teenager acts."

This earned a few chuckles from those in the courtroom. Lydia, though, knew Spencer was poking holes in her theory. Now she wished she had asked a few more questions. She avoided them at first because she didn't want to plant the idea in the judge's head and then let Spencer give that idea legs. But now she wanted a chance to dissuade the judge. However, Doctor Hopper stepped up in her place.

"She's not schizophrenic, if that's what you're asking," the psychologist continued.

"I didn't ask," Spencer replied.

"Well it sounds like you are," Hopper rebuked sternly. "Valerie is in her mid-twenties. Adult symptoms would have manifested by now and they haven't. She has never had hallucinations or any other symptoms of schizophrenia. Further, there are other psychological and medical explanations for her transformation. Explanations which have not yet been explored because this trial was forced into action too early."

"I see. Doctor, would a person who is lying and has been caught lying display those same traits of fear? Narrowing capillaries leading to cold extremities, sweating, elevated heart rate, chills?" Spencer had ignored the doctor's appeal and coldly moved on.

"Yes. Yes it can," Hopper replied. "Any event which induces fear can cause those specific responses."

"And these responses are uncontrollable," Spencer said for clarification, though none was needed. "She could not have made them happen or kept them from happening even if she wanted?"

"That is correct. They are completely involuntary."

"And when you examined Ms. Kensington at the hospital you described her as being 'self-assured and in full control of herself,' these are your words. 'Valerie seemed to be confident, almost to the point of cockiness.' Is that correct?"

"Yes. I did."

"Thank you, doctor. You've been most helpful." Spencer returned to his associates and sat down in his chair. A small smirk on his face as he looked at Lydia Van Buren through the corner of his eyes.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Mid-Georgian Period on the Mainland)

From the moment of her great betrayal and subsequent banishment from her own guild by the traitors Swift, Festus and Fairy Kelly, Vidia had found it impossible to trust anyone. She kept wondering why she was singled out by Swift and Festus for their plans. Why was she betrayed by the very people whom she admired?

She questioned herself and began a long and difficult period of self-reflection culminating in the shaky premise that while she was the strongest talent, she must not have been good enough in other respects. They apparently saw those weaknesses and exploited them. Specifically, Vidia had fallen in love with Festus. He was caring, helpful and friendly. Above all he trusted her to pull through difficult situations. He acted as the mentor she needed. EXACTLY as the mentor she needed.

Vidia berated herself for not seeing through that painfully thin disguise, completely ignoring the fact that she was young and naïve. She fell for him and that love created the strongest trust and loyalty.

It was all a lie.

Her final conclusion was that love and trust were what others used to exploit you. While the other fairies and sparrow men in Pixie Hollow were not as shallow or deceitful as Swift and Festus and their acolytes, Vidia had no way of knowing who the next back stabber might be. So she chose not to trust or invest any emotional baggage in any person. To that end, Vidia erected a wall of mistrust and loathing to protect herself. To hide the pain of being manipulated by the man she loved Vidia convinced herself of her own superiority. She had no weaknesses, nothing someone else could use to cause her pain.

Vidia honed her ability to cut people to the quick with snarky rejoinders and snippy remarks. She insulted and berated anyone and everyone she encountered to keep them at arm's length. Even members of her own guild were not immune to her brutal comments. No one would ever break her heart or abuse her trust ever again.

Then came Wisp. At first a nuisance, then a rival, Vidia had disliked her intensely. Wisp had become obsessed with outshining Vidia and proving herself to be the best. Outwardly Vidia was no more than annoyed, but inwardly it hurt. Being second best meant being weak and it opened the old wounds left by Festus and his lies. Her talent and a little help from a fat sparrow man named Clank of the tinker guild helped her to keep her title of greatest talent in Pixie Hollow. It helped her to maintain her illusion of superiority.

Then the accident which nearly paralyzed Wisp occurred and Vidia was left with so much self-doubt. She began to question her choices and personal philosophy, wondering if that was why Wisp was almost killed. Wisp's admission of guilt helped to quell Vidia's doubts and she continued to keep people at a distance. Except one. Wisp.

True to the doctor's word Wisp did eventually recover, though she had to endure many seasons of repetitive and often painful physical therapy to regain her former level of skill. Vidia offered to help once. Then twice. Then a third time. Then more.

Soon the duo were often seen together flying circles around rocks, trees and hills. They engaged in friendly races and often placed bets on who would win. Vidia always did. Her snarky edge never dulled in the presence of Wisp who just accepted this as Vidia being Vidia.

For her part, Vidia never fully learned to trust Wisp. The bitter pain and heartache of betrayal at the hands of the man she had once admired and loved and the feeling of helplessness and inferiority it left within her never faded. But she did call her "friend" once or twice. Vidia still treated others with the same vitriol she always did, but at least this was a first step towards reconciliation.

At least until one evening when a certain tinker fairy arrived to change all that.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

She had been outmaneuvered. This was a court hearing where Van Buren had to make the case that Valerie was suffering from a personality disorder which made her unfit to stand trial in her own defense. If there was enough doubt in the mind of the presiding judge the trial would go forward and with the evidence stacked against her, Valerie could end up in jail for several months.

Spencer had just provided that doubt. Lydia was doing all she could, but was coming up just short. What she needed was a miracle.

As if on cue her miracle arrived with the sound of the large double doors banging open. She turned around to see Penny Steveston and Dr. Whale enter the courtroom accompanied by one of the men who was in the employee of Mr. Gold.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion," the judge calmly asked.

"We have the MRI images," Dr. Whale announced holding up an SD Card.

Van Buren could hear her clients hugging and quietly cheering. She let out a deep sigh of relief.

Spencer, though, kept up to his old tricks. "Objection, your honor, this evidence is unknown to us."

"Considering we have been discussing the MRI images at length it is hard to imagine that they are unknown to anyone in this courtroom," Lydia blasted back.

"Nonetheless, we have not had the chance to review this evidence," Spencer soldiered on. "I ask that this evidence be disallowed."

"Why now, Mr. District Attorney?" Lydia countered. "Why didn't you try to keep this out of the courtroom when the hearing started?" That last part truly rankled Spencer. Albert had read the reports and deposition from Dr. Whale and had a general sense of what was in those MRI images. Allowing them into the proceedings would be damning to his case. Unfortunately for him, the bench didn't see it his way.

"Counsel is correct, Mr. Spencer, motion to disallow is denied," the judge answered.

"Then I ask the court for a recess so my associates and I can review this new evidence," Spencer asked in a perfect businesslike manner.

"Agreed. This court will stand in recess until tomorrow morning so that both sides will have a chance to review this new evidence."

With that the judge gaveled the court into recess and all parties departed for the day.

* * *

**Whew. Okay. One more chapter (hopefully) and we will be done with all this stuff and we can all get back to the good stuff. Isn't that great?**

**(Sounds of crickets chirping)**

**Aw, man!**


	86. Chapter 86

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover  
****Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"How the hell did those images get to the courthouse?" Regina hissed angrily at Sydney Glass, her pet enforcer. She had retreated to the comfort of her mayor's office. "I thought this other person you sent in was supposed to stop that little girl?"

"How was I supposed to know Penny carried a Taser? Or that she would be so enthusiastic about using it?" Sydney replied.

Indeed, when Penny entered the elevator someone was waiting for her. He was dressed as a custodian, but the photo I.D. didn't match his face tipping off his victim. Penny dropped him in a second with a Taser. When the doors opened this tiny teenaged girl was shocking her assailant over and over and OVER again all the while yelling, _if you mess with the bull you get the horns!_

"Hospital security is holding the other person until Deputy Swan arrives."

Regina wouldn't stand for that. "NO! You make sure that never happens! If there is even one witness…"

"There won't be. The hospital Psyche Ward is about to add a new resident." Sydney was quite smug as he said this, knowing it should please his mayor.

"Good. At least you've done something right today, Sydney," Regina told him as she paced around her office. "And no matter how this hearing turns out you make sure that Kensington woman gets wasted in your newspaper the day after. Is that clear?"

"We tried that before," he answered hesitantly. When Regina got like this she despised anyone challenging her orders. But Sydney believed he was seeing a pattern beginning to emerge and had to inform his mayor. "She must have a guardian angel looking out for her. First it was that Hartley Winter fellow. Now Emma Swan has somehow coordinated the talk show host, a computer nerd and that video store owner into coming to Claire's aid."

"Yes, the video store owner who used to be a lawyer, the one lawyer in the whole town capable of matching Spencer in the courtroom." This burned Regina deep inside. Swan had upset this quiet little town ever since she arrived. But what really got the wheels turning in her head was the mention of Hartley Winter. Swan had nothing to do with him getting involved in her last scheme. And twice she had seen Claire and Hartley together. They were carrying on almost as if they were getting friendly. Maybe a little too friendly.

Then she recalled all the persons Valerie had identified as fairies from Pixie Hollow. When Regina cast the Dark Curse there were specific people she had targeted. Snow White, Prince Charming, Red Riding Hood, the dwarves and Queen Clarion of Pixie Hollow among many, many others. However, there were also thousands more who came along as collateral damage. Now she began to wonder just how many of Clarion's people were living in Storybrooke.

"You're right, Sydney. We have tried it before," she told him. "But I still want your best hatchet job on that Kensington woman. Understand?"

"Perfectly."

"And find out who Valerie thinks are fairies from Never Land," she added. "I want to know the extent of her mental impairment."

**~O~**

Lydia Van Buren was reviewing the images on her computer. Unable to understand the complexities of an MRI scan, Dr. Whale was with her deciphering what it all meant.

"This is the most incredible case I've ever seen," Whale told her. Then he got this look on his face, as if he had an epiphany. "My God, I could write a paper, maybe get it published in the _New England Journal of Medicine_. Do you know what this could do to my career?"

At that moment she received a phone call. It was Spencer. He wanted to speak with her about the hearing.

**~O~**

Less than an hour later, she along with Claire and her two girls were sitting in Spencer's exorbitantly appointed office. As the town's district attorney he received a tidy sum from the city for his services, but even before that Spencer was already the town's best and highest paid law professional. It showed. His luxury appointments made the office look like it was appropriate for a king, though it wasn't just for his own benefit. Sometimes when a lawyer was successful he or she would show it off to impress potential clients of their prowess in the courtroom. Spencer was clearly that kind of lawyer and that kind of person.

"Well, if it isn't our_ little_ Miss Van Buren," he said with a condescending emphasis on "little" as she walked into his office.

"Hello, Spencer. I see you still have a strong distaste for me," she answered.

"Now what would make you think that?" he said with an elegant if utterly fake grin.

"You always insult or dismiss me whenever I walk into the room," she replied. "What's wrong, can't handle getting your ass handed to you by a video store clerk?"

"No one hands me my ass," he growled. _"Ever!"_

Van Buren knew her rejoinder had infuriated him. Spencer wasn't used to losing and he reacted very poorly to it. However, she could gain no additional satisfaction from insulting him further so she dropped the entire subject and pressed on. "Fine, let's get this meeting started, shall we?"

Lydia and her clients sat next to her while the D.A. and his associates sat across the desk from them. He prefaced by saying he analyzed the images with a professional neurologist. "They reveal…, a somewhat noticeable change in her mental state, but I don't think it will matter very much tomorrow."

This was a lie. Or at the very least a wild exaggeration. Dr. Whale had marveled at just how different the two images of Valerie's brain were. The before and after scans were so startling that he initially thought they were of two different people when he first saw them.

"What do you want, Albert?" she asked trying to remain as coolly professional as possible.

"I look at your clients and they are weary," he prefaced. "Their lives, their privacy, their personal lives are on display. No one wants to see their dirty laundry put out there for public scrutiny and ridicule. I propose a deal."

Lydia quirked a suspicious eyebrow. The deal he offered would end the hearing right here and now. Tonight. The terms were simple. Valerie would admit to reckless endangerment and her penalty would be time served and the suspension of her driver's license for six months.

To Claire it seemed like a great idea. "And this will be the end of it all?" she asked.

"Yes, no more hearing," Spencer promised. "You and your two girls can get your lives back."

"I think we should take it," Claire suggested to her lawyer.

"No!" Lydia said.

"But…"

"No!" she said with more conviction.

Claire was confused, "If this ends the hearing now…"

Lydia pulled her client aside and explained a few things to her in hushed tones. "This is what he wants," Van Buren said. "He knows that those MRI images will sink any chance he has of winning this hearing. He will try anything to prevent them from being entered into evidence. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, you take this deal and any question of Valerie's mental state will be put to bed permanently. Admitting to reckless endangerment will imply she is_ not_ mentally deficient to stand trial."

It was a simple equation, really. Getting Valerie to admit to reckless endangerment before a verdict could be announced would all but seal Valerie's fate. Her earlier claims of mental defect would be interpreted as an attempt to avoid prosecution and jail time. She would most certainly be arrested for obstruction of justice, interfering with a police investigation and lying under oath. This was his gambit, trade a small loss for a greater victory.

"I see your point," Claire replied. "Get those scans into evidence."

"I thought you might say that," the defense attorney responded with a cheeky smile.

Van Buren turned back towards her opponent and announced, "No deal, Spencer. You can't pull the wool over my eyes or my client's. I'll see you in court tomorrow."

With that rebuke Lydia stood up and left the room with Claire and her two girls following right behind.

"You're making a big mistake," Spencer yelled to the four women. "This _will_ go to trial and you _will_ lose. I'll make sure of that personally."

**~O~**

Outside the office, Claire looked worriedly at her attorney. "Is that true? Do we even stand a chance?"

"He's bluffing," Lydia said. "Spencer doesn't resort to these kind of theatrics unless his hand is weak. And it is very weak. Don't worry, you'll be free from this nightmare by lunchtime tomorrow."

"But what happens if those images go missing again?" Claire asked.

"They won't," Lydia answered. "I made plenty of backups. I've got one. So does Dr. Whale, Dr. Hopper, the court and Spencer. Even Penny has a copy. Not to mention the hospital's computer system is slowly returning to normal and the original images are still there if necessary."

"You sure know how to cover your bases," Tina said.

"When you deal with lawyers…, or Mr. Gold…, you learn quickly that covering your bases is a top priority," she answered. She sounded as the weary voice of experience.

**~O~**

The next morning court began in earnest and the first order of business was for Van Buren to present her new evidence. This time there were no counter moves by Spencer or this crack legal team. Nothing like suggesting that the images might be faked as they had already been verified by Dr. Whale himself.

A large LCD TV screen was again wheeled into the courtroom. This time a laptop accompanied the television and was connected via an HDMI cable. Van Buren called Dr. Whale to the stand to explain the MRI images. First, though, Lydia asked for his name, profession and qualifications as an authority on the subject at hand, thought it wasn't really needed.

Everyone in town knew who Dr. Whale was. Storybrooke had exactly one hospital. Dr. Whale was its lead surgeon and top physician. Most people in town had, at one time or another in their lives, been in need of his services.

"Dr. Whale, could you please explain what has happened to Valerie Kensington?" Lydia said, opening the door for the physician to begin his testimony.

"Of course. Now, I'll try to explain this in plain English," he began while bringing up three images of a child's MRI scan. Each was of a different orientation: Axial, from the top; Coronal, from the front; and Sagittal or from the side. "We are born with over 100 billion brain cells. These cells, called neurons, receive and send information through the brain. A neuron looks like a cell with tentacles called dendrites that receive the incoming information and then a tail with more little tentacles called an axon which sends the information to the next neuron. The connectors between the axons and dendrites are called synapses."

"At birth the cerebral cortex of the typical newborn brain has about 2500 synapses on each neuron. By age 3 that number increases to fifteen thousand per neuron in the cerebral cortex. This number is about twice as many as are found in an adult. This reduction occurs through a process known as synaptic pruning. Weak and unused synapses are deleted while stronger and often used synapses are maintained and strengthened. Which synapses are kept is determined though use which is itself determined by our learning and experiences. Our brains adapt to our environment and certain areas become more specialized. This is all part of a larger process known as neuroplasticity. An MRI image of a child will differ from an adult because of this synaptic pruning and neuroplasticity."

A second image appeared on screen of a normal adult female. The colors on the image revealed the activity of the brain. The arrangement of the colors differed significantly from the image of the child's MRI scan. An orange comma shape surrounded by yellow and resembling a ram's horn dominated the center of the sagittal image. This demonstrated his point of how the brain changes from childhood to adulthood. Because experiences determine how a brain is structured, an MRI image can also reveal the approximate age of a person.

Whale then clicked to an image which he identified as Valerie's brain scan when she was first brought into the hospital immediately after the accident. The image was similar to the previous image of the adult female. To further illustrate his point his next slide was of the adult female and Valerie's side by side. "Notice the similarities in the arrangement of colors. Take special note of the orange which is an indication of mental activity

Next Dr. Whale moved to another slide showing the most recent MRI image of Valerie. "This is after she woke up and claimed to be Vidia," he explained. The new image presented was so profoundly different from the others that nearly everyone in attendance gasped. Whale then made an equally startling pronouncement. "When I first saw this I thought it was an error on the part of the technician or the machine. However, after reviewing the procedure used and had the system tested I realized that this scan which you see before you is Valerie's current brain activity."

"Are you certain of that, Doctor?" Van Buren asked.

"Absolutely," Whale answered. "At first I didn't see the pattern, but when I consulted with neurologist Dr. Tate he found and explained the unusual symmetry. What you are seeing is a brain which possesses the sheer number of synapses of a human child coupled with the development and specialization of an adult female. A female of at least one hundred years' worth of experiences."

This prompted more gasps. Claire stared quizzically at Valerie as did Tina. The judged looked at her briefly before turning his attention back to Dr. Whale.

"Are you certain about that estimate?" Van Buren asked.

"Positive, though I couldn't tell you how it happened," he said. "The brain does not spontaneously grow new synapses, especially such a large number, in only a few hours and especially at this age. This is completely unprecedented."

"This 'unusual symmetry' you spoke of, is this why Valerie has lost her memories and created a new personality?"

"Yes, her personality disorder is no doubt a result of this incredible change in her brain structure."

"Is this change stable?"

"Absolutely," he answered.

Had there been any inconsistent memories or conflicting experiences the mind would not be able to reconcile them and it would show up in the time lapsed MRI imagery as agitation. None appeared. "In my opinion and the opinions of both Doctors Hopper and Tate this new personality is completely stable."

"What is your conclusion, Dr. Whale?"

"In my professional opinion, this is not some petty trick to avoid jail time. In fact, what we are looking at may very well be the most stable case of personality disorder in the history of mankind."

"Thank you, doctor." Van Buren sat down.

Spencer stood to cross examine. "Doctor, do you mean to tell us that Ms. Kensington suddenly has over one hundred years of memories rattling around in her head?"

"I couldn't be certain if they are memories," Whale stated, "we can't read minds, but when compared to accepted medical standards her brain does indeed reflect at least one hundred years' worth of experiences."

"And this wasn't an error on the part of the technician or the machinery?"

"No it wasn't," Whale answered.

"And you know this how, Doctor?"

"The MRI machine is in good working order," Whale replied. "Neither the neurologist on duty or the technician could believe their eyes when the scan results appeared so they performed full diagnostics on the machine. No errors were found. Furthermore, the MRI's were performed both before and after Valerie Kensington's images were taken, none showed any variances."

"You said this personality is stable. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"There are several types of personality disorders which are grouped into three distinct types known as Cluster A, Cluster B and Cluster C types. Each type includes a set of specific symptoms. Valerie, or rather Vidia, demonstrates no symptoms of any of these types other than a radical change in personality, new memories consisting of vivid detail and a completely new identity."

"Doctor, I noticed that this Vidia character from the movie seems to share a similar background to Valerie herself," Spencer said. "Don't you find that a bit peculiar?"

"Actually, no. Dr. Hopper and I have arrived at a consensus that Valerie may have subconsciously chosen the Vidia character specifically for that reason."

Both Vidia and Valerie appear to share similar types of personality traits, at least superficially. Both were outcasts in their own societies, both had sharp tongues, both loved speed and flight, and both found themselves dealing with someone who was the personification of a perfect child. However, at the end of the third movie Vidia learns who her real friends are and is able to reconcile and be accepted within her community.

"When her mind shattered and reformed itself Ms. Kensington most likely chose Vidia because she regarded her as a kindred spirit who got the happy ending Valerie never could."

"I see. And what about Valerie? Is she lurking about in there somewhere in all those pretty colors you showed us on the screen?"

Whale hesitated. He looked over at Mrs. Kensington who stared back at him. She was leaning forward and her eyes revealed a desperate hope swirling among a sense of dread and resignation.

"Doctor? What about Valerie? Is she still hiding in there somewhere?"

Whale gulped. "No. She…, that personality is gone forever."

Claire clasped her hand over her mouth. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she sunk into her chair.

"Doctor, what about Valerie Kensington? If her personality is gone does that mean Valerie is dead?" It was a horrible way of describing it. Claire was visibly stung by what she heard. Crueler words could not be spoken to a parent than "your child is dead."

"Medically speaking Valerie Kensington sits right there in this courtroom," Whale answered. "But from a psychological standpoint Dr. Hopper would be best suited to answer that question."

"Thank you, Doctor. No further questions."

* * *

THE MAINLAND, (The Late Victorian Period)

Tinker Bell had been captured by humans. That was what she had told the other girls at the summer camp. What she didn't tell them was exactly how she got capture. Vidia left out the part where she herself was responsible for Tinker Bell getting locked inside the little house made by the little girl who lived nearby.

The other girls mounted a rescue operation, but it was raining and Clank and Bobble had to fashion a boat from tree bark, a cat o nine tail and lots of stem twine to get everyone closer to the human house. During the trek, the fairies were pulled down a waterfall and the boat shattered. Now they were all on foot. It was still raining, though it had let up some.

Vidia and her companions used the blades of grass and leaves to shield themselves from the large water drops. Nonetheless, their wings were wet and it prevented them from taking flight. Vidia had been feeling sick to her stomach ever since that little girl picked up the tiny house and ran back into the human home where she lived. Her father was what humans called a natural philosopher, although now the term "scientist" was slowly replacing it. Keeping up with changes in the human world was hard.

Suddenly the conversation changed from idle chatter to Tinker Bell. Not that this was unexpected. They were on a quest to save her from humans. Yet quickly the other fairies began to ask just how it was Tinker Bell had come to getting captured.

"Every step we take takes that much closer to Tinker Bell," Clank observed.

Vidia knew her secret would come out. That she was responsible for Tinker Bell getting caught inside that little house. And for no good reason other than she couldn't stand that Tinker Bell was more talented than she was.

Ever since Tinker Bell's arrival Vidia had been looking for ways to discredit and belittle that tinker fairy. Now it was by her own hand that Tinker Bell was trapped by humans. The secret of the fairies could be revealed for no other reason than petty jealousy. That was when it dawned on her.

Vidia was obsessing. Years earlier Wisp went out of her way to prove she was more talented than Vidia and it nearly killed her. She had to accept and live with the fact that someone else was more talented. When she did that Wisp finally came into her own as a fast flyer. Soon Wisp was able to do things that surprised even Vidia.

When she had this epiphany a second, far greater one followed. She had always been obsessing. Ever since Swift and Festus had used her to their own ends Vidia had closed her heart and walled off everyone around her. She turned away everyone and clung desperately to the one good thing she had in her life. The only thing which give her life meaning and fulfillment: being the most talented fairy in Pixie Hollow. Vidia had jealously protected her status from Wisp and later Tinker Bell to the point of being irrational. As irrational as Wisp.

This introspection caused her to confess. "It was my fault," she told the other fairies. Vidia told them everything, how it was her who locked Tinker Bell in that little house. Now both Tink and all of Pixie Hollow was in danger. All because of her.

When she had finished Vidia fully expected to be vilified, condemned and ostracized. Instead she was forgiven on the spot. Tinker Bell could get herself into plenty of trouble all on her own, Rosetta reminded her. Vidia was surprised, relieved and even a little bit elated. For the first time in centuries Vidia's heart felt lighter and joyous. She had friends who cared about her, who rallied around her and who had the compassion enough in their hearts to forgive and embrace her as a friend.

* * *

**Whew! Well this chapter covered quite a bit of territory didn't it? Most of the background information about the human brain I got from some websites on psychology and is fairly accurate for the purposes of this chapter. Thanks to MasterMind4892 for assisting me with this and the next chapter.**

**One or two more and chapters and we will get back on track. **


	87. Chapter 87

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, between episodes 7 and 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Upon returning from deliberation the judge rendered his findings. Though it wasn't readily apparent, Spencer wore the look of defeat. He wasn't done fighting just yet, but this round had, he was certain, gone to his opponent.

Mayor Regina Mills boiled with anger. Her carefully laid plans had come to naught. At every turn that meddling Emma Swan had gotten involved along with other members of her town. She would have to do something about that. How could she run this city if her own residents didn't fear her?

Lydia Van Buren felt confident in the outcome, but she didn't rest on her laurels. Spencer was anything if not thorough and tricky. He wouldn't stop fighting until it was all over.

Claire was an emotional wreck. She wanted this verdict to go her way and for Valerie to be kept out of jail. Yet she also felt as though she had lost more than she could stand to gain. The District Attorney's question and Dr. Whale's answer about Valerie's personality confirmed what she already knew. Her daughter was gone forever. Yet it still hit her like a punch in the gut, perhaps because it erased even the faintest sliver of hope.

Vidia was focused on a different thought. The fairies who were here rallied around her. They came to her aid just as they had before. Though they had no memories of their former selves they somehow still managed to come to her aide and protect her. This lifted her spirits and assured her that she was not alone even in this strange, human world.

**~O~**

"The question of whether or not a person is mentally capable to stand trial rests on one of two precepts," the judge began in his summary. "First, does the defendant understand the reasons and consequences of standing trial? And second, can the defendant assist in her own defense? Only one standard must be met for a Valerie Kensington to be declared mentally unfit to stand trial."

"First, Ms. Kensington seems to be fully self-aware and is capable of understanding the consequences of this hearing and our justice system. She has also demonstrated an understanding of the charge levied against her. Therefore the first standard has not been met."

"So now we move on to whether or not Ms. Kensington can assist in her own defense. Can she remember the events which led to her being in this courtroom? Is she aware of the difficult history she has had with her own mother? The medical images of her brain are startling. The change in her mental ability, the manner in which she conducts herself, even her responses to seeing the films in question lead me to believe that the defendant is unable to assist her attorneys in her own defense. She has no memory of her past and has retreated into a fanciful world to shield herself against the harshness of her reality. In my opinion the defendant does indeed meet this second qualification and the charge of reckless endangerment is summarily dropped."

There was the sound of relief coming from the defendant's side. Claire hugged Valerie and then Tina who in turn hugged her sister. Valerie, or Vidia, was the most relieved though she did not seem as elated as her mother and sibling.

Mrs. Kensington then shook the hands of her attorney in congratulations for successfully defending her daughter and keeping the girl out of jail. That, however, was when Albert Spencer made his next attempt to put Valerie away.

"Your Honor, in light of the evidence provided for us by Dr. Whale and Dr. Hopper, the people ask that Valerie Kensington be remanded into state custody. Specifically, the Psych Ward at Storybrooke General Hospital."

"On what grounds?" Van Buren blurted out in her client's defense.

"On the grounds that Valerie could be a danger to society," he replied. "Dr. Whale did testify that this is unprecedented. For all we know this Vidia persona could end up being a menace to society. A serial killer perhaps."

"Yes, having the personality of an ultimately benevolent six-inch fairy must CERTAINLY mean that she'll go on a psychotic killing spree with pollen and glitter gloss as her murder weapons," Lydia answered in her most snarky and condescending tone. "This is Disney we're talking about... and I would like to remind the court that Hannibal Lector did NOT grow up in Never Land."

This quick witted rejoinder sent howls of laughter through the courtroom. Spencer was clearly infuriated with Van Buren's snide remark, though he was impressed with her ability to cut him down so easily.

"She cannot be unleashed on an unsuspecting public," Spencer said, trying to salvage whatever he could of his argument.

Van Buren replied that the Vidia persona had shown no criminal or violent tendencies and has been acting like a model citizen ever since waking up in the hospital.

"Well, except for that one time when she went stark raving mad and nearly hurt several members of the hospital's dedicated staff," Spencer replied.

"While uncommon, it is not without precedent," Lydia answered back. "The unfamiliar surroundings and people was a shock and she ran out of fear. The hospital does have records of this occurring with other patients."

"Well then what do you suggest we do with her?" Spencer asked Van Buren directly. "Let her get a job and rent an apartment? Maybe you should let her drive on our streets, as well? If she has no recollection of her previous self and thinks she is a fairy from Never Never Land then she probably doesn't even remember how to operate a vehicle."

On that score he was absolutely right. Vidia had demonstrated no ability to function properly in Storybrooke. She had been, up to this point, been totally reliant on Claire and Tina. Which gave Van Buren an idea.

"Your Honor, perhaps we should ask Vidia what she wants."

"Oh please. Your Honor, are you going to allow a little girl run your courtroom?" Spencer said in a harsh tone.

"It's my courtroom and I can do as I please," the judge answered with a scowl. The magistrate turned his attention to Vidia and asked her directly what she wanted.

"I would like to stay with Queen Clarion and Tinker Bell," Vidia replied.

The judge smiled. "I believe you mean your mother and sister. Mrs. Kensington, is that all right with you?"

Claire looked over at Vidia. The girl looked back with pleading eyes. She wanted to bring her daughter home, yet Claire could not shake those words from her mind. "Valerie is dead." Whoever this young woman was now, it certainly wasn't her little girl. But how could she turn her out into the cold? She looked like Valerie and sounded much like her, too.

"Yes. Yes it is all right with me," the bereaved mother answered, though somewhat hesitantly.

"Very good, the state remands custody of Valerie Kensington into the care of Claire Kensington," the judge announced. "This court is adjourned. Good day, everyone."

**~O~**

Vidia turned to her queen. She could see the uncertainty in her eyes. In the past few days Vidia came to understand something of what was happening to Claire. She had lost a daughter who was replaced by another person. Vidia had guild mates who had been lost to the hawk or to drowning or simply got lost and never returned. The heartbreak was palpable.

It must be the same heartbreak that Claire was feeling right now. It explained why she hesitated to take her back into her home. Loss can be a powerfully negative feeling.

"Thank you," Vidia told Claire. "You won't regret this."

Claire just offered a weak smile in return. "Let's go home. I want to put this behind me as quick as possible."

Vidia nodded in agreement.

She hadn't taken more than a few steps when Claire's path was blocked by Mayor Regina Mills. "Well, I'm glad that is worked out so well for you," the mayor told her.

Regina then turned her attention to the young woman at Claire's side. "I guess I was wrong about you," she said, smiling.

Vidia wasn't fooled. It was a phony grin. Vidia had perfected that insincere smile and knew the mayor had no intention of the letting this go. Though she had no complete answer for why. Vidia wanted nothing more than to zing this woman with a remark so snarky it would knock Regina on her proverbial backside. But for the sake of the queen, Vidia held her tongue.

Claire thanked the mayor and walked on. Then Regina mentioned the work being done on the Town Hall. "By the way, I'll have to cancel your contract with the city." She announced.

Claire spun around, shocked. "Why?"

"Paul and Ben are former city workers who were fired for intoxication and damage to city property," Regina explained. "You can't hire them to work on a city project. I'm sorry, but you'll have to stop work immediately and forfeit any future payments. Next time read your contract more carefully."

"I did read my contract," Claire answered, stiffening. "There is no such restriction."

"Oh, really? Well there is now," Regina replied with a smirk.

"Hey! You can't do that," Vidia scolded. "You make an agreement you have to honor it. I don't care who you are."

"_How cute_. And for your information my name isn't 'Hey You.' I am the mayor of this town and you had best get used to addressing me as such."

Vidia put her hands on her hips and in the snidest tone possible answered, "Well perhaps, but using your title would mean acknowledging that you EXIST. So forgive me if I want to delay this unpleasant prospect for as long as possible."

Claire was aghast. She grabbed Vidia and put her hand over the girl's mouth.

"She didn't mean that," Claire said to the mayor. "You didn't mean that," she then said as an order to Vidia.

"Keep this… whatever… under control," Regina growled. "She is your responsibility now, Claire. And if you hope to ever have a chance at another town contract you had best grow some common sense."

Claire was incensed by Regina's accusation, but before she could utter a single word in retaliation, Vidia opened her big mouth.

"Oh really? Because you're such a shining example of common sense?" Vidia replied with a satisfied grin.

Regina smugly answered, "Why do you think I was elected mayor?"

"Hmmm? Because no one's sense is more common than yours?"

The few people left in the courthouse had stopped to listen in on the conversation that was brewing between Regina and Mrs. Kensington. Each was taken aback when Vidia showed not one ounce of fear in the presence of the mayor.

Regina herself was absolutely livid. No one had dared to talk back to her that way. Not in Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest. Only her own mother could be so bold. "You watch your mouth, young lady. Or I'll watch it for you."

"You want to stare at my lips all day? I thought you had better things to do, _Geena_?" Vidia answered with an emphasis on the diminutive of Regina's name.

Regina was furious. She had promised to expose Valerie as a fraud and failed. Now this little whelp was calling her on it. She waited for Claire to step in and do something, but the elder Kensington woman did nothing. Instead Claire suddenly had grown a backbone.

The tension was so palpable it could be cut with a knife. All eyes in the courtroom stared at the trio before a light chuckling broke the mood.

"Oh I like her," said the familiar voice of none other than Mr. Gold. It grabbed the attention of both Regina and Claire, and sent shivers down Claire's spine.

"What are you doing here? This is a private conversation," Regina told him.

"Oh I doubt that, Madame Mayor. Everyone can hear you," he told her. "And to answer your question, I have a rather significant investment in the hospital, not to mention the insurance. That means I have to look out for the safety and welfare of that fine establishment, which in turn makes me responsible for the good health of the people of Storybrooke." Mr. Gold then gave Regina a meaningful look. "I heard that 'someone' thought they could just do away with the files in the computer system that 'I' paid for."

Regina's eyes widened. She had no idea that Mr. Gold had paid for the computer equipment at Storybrooke General or that he underwrote the insurance policy for it. Though in hindsight she should have figured it out.

"Owing to the fact that Ms. Kensington's medical scans arrived safely, it seems that everything is well in hand thanks to the efforts of our young friend over there," Gold nodded in the direction of Penny, who was well into a conversation with Tina.

"Everything is under control," Regina announced hoping he would leave. "You have nothing to worry about."

"True, but I don't think you're aware of the full repercussions that this 'incident' could have caused. Poor Henry's files could have been lost, as well. It would be a real shame if something were to happen to him... and no one could help."

There was a threat hidden in the subtext of that sentence. _He knows._ Now it was Regina's turn to a feel a chill run down her spine.

"Now, Madame Mayor... how about you spare yourself the drama of continuing your failed attempts to intimidate an otherwise handicapped woman... and PLEASE... devote yourself to making sure that something like this 'incident' doesn't happen again."

He said it. Please. As was part of their deal in the Enchanted Forest whenever he spoke that word she could not resist him. Everyone watching was stunned as they watched Regina quietly walk away without so much as a threat or a rejoinder.

"Oh and Madame Mayor? The young woman is quite correct" Gold added. "Contracts establish expectations, responsibilities and restrictions for both sides. As I recall city contacts cannot be altered on a whim. Mrs. Kensington could very well file a lawsuit for breach of contract and considering the formidable nature of her representation she stands a very good chance of winning."

Lydia quirked an eyebrow in the direction of the mayor.

Regina glared at Mr. Gold. Then at Claire. She wanted nothing more than to be rid of that fairy queen once and for all, but she was caught. "Fine! Whatever!" She then stormed out of the courtroom to fulfill Gold's request.

The impeccably dressed Mr. Gold turned to Vidia and offered a slight smile. "That was some experience. It would seem you truly believe yourself to be someone else…, and from another land."

"That's right."

"What did you say your name was again?"

She stood up straight. "My name is Vidia, a fast flying fairy from the realm of Pixie Hollow."

Mr. Gold smiled again before turning his attention to Claire. "You have quite an interesting one, Ms. Kensington. Do look after her, won't you? I have a feeling that Storybrooke just became a lot more… interesting."

"Yes, Mr. Gold." Claire's resolve in the face of Regina's threats had all but vanished in the presence of the pawn broker. Vidia could see that while Queen Clarion had regained some of her strength it hadn't come back fully. As Gold stepped away, Claire let out a deep breath as if she had been holding it in for a long time. She had to sit down and lowered her head as if letting the blood rush back to her brain.

"Oh boy. This has been one hell of a day."

The two men whom Vidia had recognized as Swift and Festus stayed close to their employer, but were still at a proper distance. They snapped to attention and remained ever vigilant guarding him as he conducted his next order of business. Vidia was amazed and disturbed by the ease with which Gold commanded them. It spoke volumes as to why Clarion was so afraid of Mr. Gold. Vidia began to wonder if he was responsible for bringing them all here to this land. He had displayed no magic, other than to drive away Regina with only a simple request. Not that Vidia minded that much. However, it was cause for suspicion and Vidia made it a point to keep an eye on him.

**~O~**

Gold smartly stepped over to the two teenaged girls who were conversing to the exclusion of all else.

"Trust me," Penny said. "If I can calculate fractals on my Mac Pro I can help you with your Geometry homework. What kind of calculator do you have?"

"Calculator? I don't know just your basic model from the pharmacy."

"Oh no. You have to get at minimum a Texas Instruments TI-86 Plus Silver Edition."

"My teacher won't allow it," Tina answered. "She insists that we show our work."

"Pardon the interruption," Mr. Gold said. "Ms. Steveston, may I have a word with you?"

Penny excused herself for a moment before stepping aside to speak with Mr. Gold. He explained his connection to the hospital and the computer equipment. He thanked Penny for her service both to the community and to his bottom line.

"Allow me to offer you compensation for your considerable skills," he said, removing a plain envelope from his breast pocket and handing it to her. It was very thick and when she opened it inside Penny found a huge stack of one hundred dollar bills.

"HO! Oh, oh, I can't take this," she answered him, looking embarrassed. "This is… just so much."

"Please, my dear, it is the least I can offer for what you've done for me." With that Mr. Gold smiled and walked away.

Tina looked over Penny's shoulders and saw the huge wad of money. "WOW! What are going to do with all that?"

"What else? Computer equipment. Newegg here I come."

"New…, new what?"

"Newegg. A website that sells computer equipment," Penny explained. "Then after that, maybe a visit to the Apple Store for another Mac Pro. Can't have too many of those lying around the house."

"Penny?" Claire had recovered enough and thanked the girl for recovering those files. "They made all the difference in the world."

"Oh it was nothing," she replied.

"Would you like to join us for dinner as a thank you?" Claire asked. "You seem to be hitting it off quite well with Tina."

"Yeah, it's like we've been friends since forever," Penny gushed.

_You don't know the half of it_, Vidia mused.

**~O~**

Outside of the Town Hall building Mr. Gold was called aside by Mayor Mills who had a few choice words for him. "What the hell are you doing? Why are you helping them?"

"Don't you have a task to perform?" Gold asked her, referring to his 'please' request in the courtroom.

"I'm taking care of it. I'm going to ask that little girl to beef up the hospital's computer security," she told him. "But that's not the point. Why are you helping them?"

"I have my reasons," he answered, obfuscating his intentions.

"And they are?"

"Mine."

"Please. Claire is indebted to you for quite the large sum," Regina stated. "It's no secret. So why help them? Why not just foreclose and throw them out on the street?"

"Because, Madame Mayor, if I foreclose I lose out on the money they owe me."

"So? You take possession of the house," Regina answered. "You're not really losing anything."

"Oh but I would," Gold explained. "Just who do you suppose will purchase that house? There doesn't seem to be a population explosion in Storybrooke at this very moment. With the passing of Sheriff Graham and the arrival of Deputy Swan this sleepy little town has only managed to break even on that account. So as you can see, allowing the Kensington family to remain in their home is quite beneficial to me. Good day, Madame Mayor."

Regina steamed at Gold's answer. With Mr. Gold fattening his pocket book was his guiding principle. But she knew him well enough to know that Gold never stopped there. He was like a master chess player, always seeking the advantage for the greater victory and he had all the patience in the world to let his gambits play out.

The question now: what was he playing at now?

* * *

**Whew! Okay, this should do it. We'll get back on track in the upcoming chapter. Next up Episode 8: Desperate Souls. **


	88. Chapter 88

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 8, Chapter 1**

_The following events occur before, during and after the eighth episode of the first season titled: "Desperate Souls"_

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The Ogre Wars. A series of protracted conflicts between the kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest and the ogres who roamed the land. Ogres were creatures so tall and massive they used tree trunks as weapons. They killed mercilessly and devoured their opponents alive. These wars came and went over the decades with men who once served, and survived, watching their sons or even grandsons going off to battle.

Rumpelstiltskin's father had been called to service as had Rumpel himself once. Now his own son would soon be of age. This worried him deeply. The fighting was as fierce and deadly as ever with the distant sky a deep crimson from the battles at the front lines.

Hordor, a "recruiter" for the Duke who ruled this land, brought his men on horseback into the village. He was here to find new conscripts for the war effort. Today was a shock for everyone. The age for enforced conscription had been lowered. Again. Now it was fourteen years and the guards were taking both boys AND girls.

A young girl was celebrating her birthday when she was taken by Hordor. Her parents were fearful and angry. "You can't take our daughter," the father yelled lunging at the guard. Suddenly, though, both the father and the mother fell to their knees. They were being choked into submission by an unseen force.

In a nearby field a mysterious man dressed in a fine, black robe sat atop a dark colored horse. He appeared as death himself. The unknown rider held aloft his right hand and from it emanated the powerful magic which constricted the airflow of the two horrified parents.

"The Dark One says I can," Hordor told them with a self-assured smirk. The Dark One released his grip on the couple and as they were trying to recover their breath the guards rode off with their little girl. Every villager knew she would not come home… or live to see her fifteenth birthday.

Rumpelstiltskin, a meek spinner of wool who was lame in one foot and forced to use a walking stick, looked on in terror. Bealfire, his son, was about to turn fourteen in a few days. The guard would come for him, as well. Rumpel could not allow that, but he was powerless against the guards or the magic of the Dark One who rode with them.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It had been two full weeks since the death of Sheriff Graham. The town was still consumed with grief at his loss. The proceedings of the Kensington case did little to distract them from their profound loss. At least that had ended on a slightly less sour note.

The paper had been very unkind to Claire Kensington. Sydney Glass went out of his way to portray the middle aged woman as a poor mother who drove her daughter away. Who rejected her out of hand and sent Valerie to what he called "an epic meltdown which led to an incomprehensible psychotic break."

It was not an easy thing for Claire to read. Each article in the series, which focused on some part of her history and relationship with Valerie, was as heartless as possible. He claimed that Claire got exactly what she deserved for being "the worst example of parental abuse and neglect, both mental and psychological, since the days of wire hangers and prayer closets." (Wire hangers being a reference to the tell-all celebrity book _Mommie Dearest_ by Christina Crawford alleging abuse by her mother, actress Joan Crawford, while prayer closets was a direct reference to the Stephen King horror novel _Carrie_ and its subsequent film adaption starring Sissy Spacek_._)

There were some bright spots, however. Desiree used her talk show as a forum to paint Claire in a far more sympathetic light. "It's hard for a modern woman these days," she said. "We want it all. Career, husband and family. It pulls us in all kinds of directions. Claire had big dreams and she sacrificed them to raise a child. It left her feeling stifled and frustrated. Claire did her very best to raise her two girls all the while wondering what might have been. She isn't a bad mother, she just never had the chance to really spread her wings. I think many of us know how that feels."

Then there was Hartley Winter who visited often to provide moral support. Whenever Claire read one of Sydney's hit pieces Hartley would call it "rubbish" and said that Mr. Glass had no idea the true character Claire's heart. She was very grateful to have him by her side at this moment.

Tina tried to be helpful by hiding the newspapers from her so she didn't have to read the awful articles that Sydney Glass wrote each day in which he exaggerated the past and peppered it with made up facts. At least her youngest now had a new friend. Penny and Tina got along very well and was extremely helpful mentoring Tina in math and science.

Valerie, or Vidia as she preferred to be called now, was just as sympathetic to her. Though she continued to refer to Claire as "Queen Clarion," she told her that as queen she had an indomitable spirit. "You saw us through several crisis," Vidia told her. "Your quiet strength gave all of us the grit to endure anything."

To the distraught mother it was faint praise. Queen Clarion was only a fairy tale character made up to entertain little girls. Claire learned from a Google search that fairies were once thought to be evil tricksters or creatures of the Devil. Historically, it was once assumed that fairies and sprites would carry away infants in the middle of the night to be used as servants and replaced them with human like imposters. Changelings they were called.

That was how Claire felt about Vidia.

There is nothing that pains a parent more than to outlive their own child. Yet in Vidia's case it was like a cruel joke. Those words spoken by Albert Spencer stuck in Claire's mind. "Valerie is dead." Her mind, her experiences, her identity, everything that made Valerie who she was had been lost for all time, replaced by this person who adamantly referred to herself as a fairy.

Vidia was an imposter, a changeling meant to torment her. To remind her of what she had lost and the chance for reconciliation that was lost with it. Claire tried her best to be as welcoming and accommodating to the girl who clearly needed help adapting to her surroundings. Yet the mother could not put her heart into it. All Claire could hope to do was try and put behind her the "death" of another person she had loved so dear.

**~O~**

Elsewhere Henry was feeling the same lack of heart about Operation Cobra. Emma met him at the dilapidated playhouse on the beach. She offered him one of two walkie-talkies that had once belonged to Graham. Earlier Mr. Gold had offered them to her.

The pawn broker had recovered all of Graham's personal belongings from the apartment the sheriff was renting from Mr. Gold. When Emma arrived at his shop he was in the back room applying lanoline, the substance that made sheep's wool waterproof. She remembered how rank it smelled.

Emma couldn't understand why Gold was being so generous, offering her Graham's things without asking for anything in return. She settled on the walkie-talkies at his suggestion that she use them for playtime with Henry. "They grow up so fast," he told her. He sounded like the voice of experience, though to her knowledge he never had children of his own.

"She did it," Henry told his birth mother. "She killed Graham."

Henry was certain that good could never win against evil because good always had to play fair. Regina, the Evil Queen, did not. "She killed him because he was good," Henry insisted. "She tried to run Valerie and her family out of town because Claire is good."

He was worried about Emma. If Regina could do these things to Graham and the Kensington family then she could do it to Emma, too. So that was it. No more Operation Cobra. At least for now.

**~O~**

On her way to the Sheriff's Station Emma gave thought to something else Mr. Gold had told her. Ever since Graham's death Emma was the acting sheriff. According to the town charter, after two weeks she would automatically become sheriff.

However, before Emma could give the subject anymore consideration Regina showed up. At the station house the mayor informed her that she was fired and that Sydney Glass was going to be appointed as the new sheriff. Emma knew immediately that what Regina really wanted was someone in this office she could control.

Deputy Swan had been a thorn in the mayor's side since accepting that post. The events leading up to Graham's death and then the Valerie Kensington case had put her on a collision course with the mayor. Now everything was coming to a head and Regina was seeking revenge. Taking Emma's job away from her was the first step.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Early Edwardian Era)

Queen Clarion came to visit one her overseers at the hospital. Fairy Gary was laid up with back problems.

"I'm not as young as I used to be," he told Clarion. "Every Autumn Revelry that ceremonial bowl gets heavier and heavier."

"So do you," she responded.

"Aye, I know, I know, I'm getting a bit thick in the middle. But I also have more centuries behind me than in front."

"What are you getting at, Fairy Gary?" the regent asked him.

"I think it's time I picked an assistant," Gary said.

"A student? Or a successor?"

"Both," he said, grimacing from his back pain. "I could use the help… and the extra time off."

"I see, and who would this assistant be?" she asked him, knowing full well who he intended to select.

"Terence," he said. "The boy is the best dust keeper I've got. He is more detail oriented than anyone at the depot and is the most organized, too. I knew that boy would take my place the moment I laid eyes on him."

"I concur with your selection."

Gary admitted that if Terence turned down the offer then Stump would be his second choice. Both were well qualified, but Terence was clearly the better of the two for the post. Clarion and Gary then spoke at length about his current ailment and how long he would be laid up.

Clarion wanted to send out Viola, her personal summoner, to locate Terence so that he could begin right away.

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow to give him the good news?" Fair Gary suggested. "It's his day off and he's on a date with his girlfriend."

Clarion smiled. She smiled so big one could almost call it a silly grin. "Very well. Tomorrow."

**~O~**

Tinker Bell carefully walked among the tall grasses. She quietly peered around plants searching for something. Around each blade of grass and plant stem she did not find what, or rather who, she was looking for. She glanced up at the broadleaves above to make sure he wasn't hiding up there. It was against the rules of the game.

Next to the shoreline of a stream was a sapling. This sapling could provide for an excellent hiding place, she surmised. To a human this tiny tree might go unnoticed. To a six inch fairy it was like a towering redwood. She pressed herself against its bark and twisted her head around to the other side.

Nothing. Again.

"Well where did he go?"

Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her waist and flung her into the air. "Ha hah!"

"EEEEEE" she screamed. "Terence put me down!" she demanded of him, giggling shamelessly.

When he dropped her, Tink fell into his arms and he smiled at her. He set the girl down next to the babbling stream and gently ran his fingers down her cheek. Her eyes were so blue, her skin so fair. She was just so beautiful. He leaned down and kissed her slowly, passionately.

Everyone in Pixie Hollow could see that Tinker Bell and Terence loved each other. Everyone, that is, except Tinker Bell and Terence. For months their mutual friends kept trying to maneuver them together, to no avail.

Until one day Tinker Bell took a bad spill from one of her inventions and she lay unconscious. Terence finally confessed how deeply he loved and cared about her. When she awoke she confessed the same to him. They had been a couple ever since. To the lovebirds it was a dawning of a new life together. For the rest of Pixie Hollow it was more like "It's about time!"

"I love you, Tinker Bell," he said happily.

"I love you, too, Terence," she replied with just as much joy.

He kissed her again. Their lives were perfect now and nothing, they thought, would ever change that.

* * *

**WE'RE BA-ACK!**


	89. Chapter 89

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke****  
A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 8, Chapter 2**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Rumpelstiltskin had roused his son in the middle of the night. The purpose? To escape the village before Hordor could take Baelfire off to war. As they fled on foot under cover of darkness they encountered a man by the side of the road begging for money. Rumpel kindly gave him a coin and continued on with his son.

Moments later the pair heard the clamor of hooves. It was Hordor and his men. They tried to hide from the guards, but the group was upon them in an instant.

"What are you doing on the King's Road?" Hordor asked. Rumpel claimed to be taking some wool to a nearby town to sell at a fair. Hordor vaguely remembered who this man was. "What's your name? Spindleshanks? Hobblefoot?"

"His name is Rumpelstiltskin," Baelfire spat in defiance.

"Ahh…, the man who ran." Hordor dismounted his horse and told Baelfire that his father was a coward. He was called to serve in the King's Army in the war, but when the ogres turned the battle in their favor he ran. The rest of the men who stayed to fight died. "He returned to a wife who could not stand the sight of him."

According to the guard, this was why his mother left him. This took Bae by surprise, he had always been told that his mother was dead.

"What's your name boy?" Hordor demanded. Unlike his father, Baelfire had no fear of this man. He told him his name, his age and his fourteenth birthday would be in three days. Hordor surmised that Rumpelstiltskin was fleeing with his son and informed them that avoiding service in the King's Army was treason. Believing that Rumpel would flee anyway, the captain of the guard decided to take the boy now and forgo waiting.

Rumpel, quivering with fear, begged him not to. Unfortunately, he had nothing to offer Hordor in payment, no money or influence or even a title to offer as a bribe. All he had, Hordor told him, was his fealty. "Kiss my boot," he demanded of Rumpel, wanting to humiliate the coward.

"Not in front of my boy," the trembling spinner pleaded.

"Kiss! My! Boot!"

Rumpelstiltskin, realizing he had no other choice, did as he was told even as Baelfire was made to watch. Then Hordor kicked the crippled man to the ground. When the guards rode off, laughing, the beggar came to their aide. In exchange for any help Rumpel could offer, he would be his benefactor.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret came home to find her roommate, Emma, mercilessly stabbing a poor defenseless toaster. It probably worked before, but no longer. Emma was furious that she had been fired. "That's my job!" she barked angrily. She had never been so passionate. Unfortunately, there was nothing Emma could do to stop Regina from appointing Sydney as the new sheriff. This was her town.

A knock at the door changed all that. Mr. Gold had dropped by to speak with Emma. He had heard she had been fired. Gold, who had a knack for reading and understanding contracts, had been pouring through the town charter and realized that the mayor had no such authority to appoint a sheriff. However Emma had no real shot at challenging Regina unless she had help. "I'm offering to be your benefactor," Mr. Gold told her. "Two people working towards a common goal can accomplish much. Two people with a common enemy can accomplish more."

**~O~**

At the town hall Emma Swan strode in mad as hell and ready to do battle with Regina. She was so hot that she didn't even stop to say hello to Claire Kensington or her crew who were busy working to renovate and restore the building.

Emma launched into a full sprint up the stairs to the offices and burst into Regina's office just as the mayor was about to announce the appointment of Sydney Glass as the new sheriff.

"Stop!" she yelled, getting the attention of the local press who were covering the event. Emma pointed out quite plainly that Regina had no authority whatsoever to appoint a new sheriff, only a candidate for an election.

"The term 'candidate' is applied loosely," Regina answered.

"No, it's not. The town charter clearly says there has to be an election and I'm running," Emma stated forcefully.

"Fine, then Sydney is running, too."

"I am?" he asked. A sharp glance from the mayor and he changed his tune. "I am!"

"I guess we will learn about the will of the people," Regina told Emma as the blonde stormed out of the office. Regina went on to do damage control with the press and tried to portray the election as a mere formality. She offered Sydney's credentials and history covering the sheriff's office and his long term residency in Storybrooke as qualifications for the office.

Emma could hear the political spin machine in full force even before she stomped back down the stairs. On the first floor Claire once again said hello. Once again Emma was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice. Until the smell hit her. That was the second time.

"What _is_ that?"

"Solvent," Claire answered.

"Oh, hi. I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there."

"It's okay," Claire replied. "You looked deep in thought."

"More like deep in anger," Emma admitted. She explained what had happened and that she was about to file as an official candidate for the office of Sheriff of Storybrooke.

"Well you can count on our support," Claire announced. "It's the least we can do after you did so much to protect my family."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Just doing my job. By the way, how is Valerie, or Vidia or whatever she's calling herself these days?"

"Vidia and she's fine," was all Claire would say.

"And you? How are you handling everything?" Emma asked further.

"I'm good."

Emma, though, could tell everything wasn't quite right. But she was more concerned about preparing for the election and decided to let it go. "Okay. Well if you need any help…"

"Funny, I was about to say the same to you," Claire replied with a grin. "Y'know putting up posters, canvasing, handing out campaign buttons. I'll leave kissing the babies to you."

Ms. Swan smiled. She then asked about the smell. Claire was removing layers of solvent based lacquer from the wood panels, trim and bannisters. The older lacquers were no longer considered safe or environmentally friendly. "When that's done I'll be staining them to bring out the wood's natural colors."

Claire, Paul and Ben were working hard on the project. Vidia, who was still wearing a brace on her broken arm, was taking care of clean up.

"Your work looks good. I can't wait to see this place when you're finished," Emma told her.

Claire blushed. "Thank you. All the mayor has done today is look for flaws and scold me for hiring Paul and Ben. I think she's determined to get fired from this contract."

"Yeah? Well, don't worry. Pretty soon she is going to be too busy to care."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Early Edwardian Era on the Mainland)

"Hi, Fairy Gary," Terence greeted as he reported for his shift, early as usual.

"Terence," Gary said with a sour tone of voice. "May I have a word with you?"

"Uh oh," Bolt said with a smirk.

"Yeah, uh oh," Stone agreed with the same smirk.

"Something amiss Fairy Gary?" Terence asked his supervisor.

"You're darn right something's amiss, boy," Gary answered keeping up his scowling countenance. "You are late for work."

"No I'm not," Terence replied. "I'm early by ten minutes. As always."

"Aye, as a dust keeper, but as my new assistant you'll have to arrive when I do."

"A-assistant?" Terence sputtered.

"Assistant?" Bolt and Stone both repeated, flabbergasted.

"That's right. The job is yours if you want it." Fairy Gary was smiling now that his little deception had been pulled off so effectively.

"Yeah. Yeah! Oh thank you, Fairy Gary. I won't let you down. I'll be here early every day and… and…"

"And what, Terence?"

"I'm going to have to stop visiting Zarina," Terence replied. He had been attending her classes learning how to be a Pixie Dust Alchemist. Terence was her best student. He was the only one who had the aptitude for creativity and curiosity that had caused so much trouble a number of seasons earlier, before her new talent was finally recognized.

"Tell you what, I'll let you finish her classes and then you can start training with me," Fairy Gary offered. Gary recognized the benefit of having his assistant understand the art of alchemy. Terence would then be an excellent liaison between the primary guild of Dust Keepers and the sub talent of Alchemist.

"Great. Four more weeks and I'll be fully trained in alchemy," the young sparrow man said with joy. "Then I'll be ready to learn everything you teach me."

"Aye, but not too fast. I'm not ready to be put out to pasture just yet," Gary said with a laugh.

**~O~**

When Tinker Bell learned of Terence's promotion she was elated. "This is what you've been waiting for your whole life, Terence!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, and now it's actually happening. I can't believe it myself." Terence was floating on air, both literally and figuratively. "Let's celebrate tonight. You and me alone at Mermaid's Lagoon."

"It's a date!"

**~O~**

It was a perfect evening with amazing food and a clear sky for star gazing. Tinker Bell didn't want it to end because she knew Terence all too well. He was going to start preparing for Assistant Overseer ahead of time. Though he still had his obligations at the depot and with Zarina, Terence was going to spend his every waking moment studying the texts for his new post. Tinker Bell wouldn't see hide nor hair of her beau for the next few weeks.

She was absolutely right. Every day following his regular duties and the class Terence sequestered himself in his house to study and didn't come out for anything. This was why he was the best dust keeper in the land.

That was okay, it gave Tinker Bell time to finish some projects that had been set aside during the "honeymoon" phase of their new relationship. First, Tink put the finishing touches on a device so the garden talents could paint leaves faster. "This should make their lives easier," she said.

Tink brought the spray painter to her garden fairy friend to test it out. Rosetta took the device, which was similar to what animal fairies used to paint lady bugs, and painted several leaves in seconds. Then adjusting a dial, she used a different shade to spray tint on a flower.

"Well? Think your garden fairies will like it?" Tink asked.

"Like it? They'll love it," the redhead beamed. "Oh I can't wait to show it to Chloe and the others."

"Great, I'll make more."

Before Tink could flitter off to her workshop Rosetta brought up the question of Terence. "So how are you two doing?"

"Well, we're okay, I guess."

"What happened?" Rosetta gasped. "What did he do? It's always the man's fault y'know."

Tink laughed. She had to explain about Terence's promotion and all the work he had ahead of him. Tink wouldn't get to see much of him for a few more weeks.

"Well, you know the old saying. 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.' When this is all over he won't be able to keep his hands off of you." Rosetta knew from experience. Every year when the winter fairies returned from bringing their season to the mainland Sled would inevitably show up at her door.

"I have to beat him off with a stick."

Tink giggled. "Now why would I do that with Terence?"

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


	90. Chapter 90

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire and Vidia drove home smelling of paint, lacquer and solvent. Each just wanted to shed their clothes and take a long, hot shower. They had dropped off Paul and Ben on their way back to the house. Vidia tried to engage Claire in conversation during the drive, but the older woman wasn't very talkative.

Dr. Hopper had wanted to continue weekly sessions with Vidia to help her transition into this new world and help with any relationship issues. That first session was difficult for Vidia. She wasn't used to talking about her inner feelings to someone she just barely knew. Archie did learn that Vidia sensed that Claire was pulling away from her. Perhaps unable to accept Vidia as a replacement for her Valerie. He advised the young woman to give Claire time to come around and accept her.

This emotional distance as he put it was a dramatic change from the Claire who, just a few days earlier, had pleaded openly with Vidia for her little girl's return and then wept uncontrollably. Vidia, however, decided to follow Dr. Hopper's advice and soldier on through it.

On the positive side Vidia was quite heartened to see that Tina and Penny were getting along so famously. As they should. Tinker Bell and Periwinkle were sisters, real sisters. Whatever magic may be holding back their memories, their sisterly bond could not be repressed. Vidia had missed that interaction between them since awakening in Storybrooke. They were fortunate to have found each other again.

When Claire opened the front door to the house she and Vidia found Penny tutoring Tina in Geometry. The two young girls were sitting at the dining room table giggling and having a good time. Maybe too good.

"Are you two studying?" Claire asked suspiciously.

"Yes," they both replied together. "Jinx!" they then squealed at each other.

Penny said it half a beat before Tina. "You owe me a soda."

"Is that all you drink, Penny?" Claire asked her. "Soda?"

"Yes, ma'am. It keeps me awake and helps me function."

"Water can help with that, too, you know."

"Water has no taste," Tina said.

Penny agreed. "Yeah, it's just so…"

"…bland," Tina finished. "It's flavorless…"

"…colorless…"

"…no sugar…"

"…and no fizz…"

"…to tickle your nose."

"It's just terrible," they both said together. "Jinx! Jinx again!"

To Claire, listening to the girls finishing each other's sentences was like watching a tennis match. Her head kept bobbing back and forth in rapid fire trying to keep up.

Vidia, on the other hand, rolled her eyes and turned to go upstairs. "Now there is something I don't miss," she grumbled on her way to a hot shower.

After all the hard work she had put in today, Vidia wished for a relaxing bath like in Pixie Hollow where other fairies were tasked with cleaning her wings. It was one of the few things she enjoyed when she had lived a life of self-imposed isolation.

After her less than relaxing shower Vidia sat in her room dressed in a robe and fresh clothes. The young brunette rubbed the pain from her feet as she stared longingly out her window. She missed being able to soar through the skies. Flying was at the center of her life. It _was_ her life.

She was a fast flying fairy, after all. Speed, freedom, flying these were all part of their culture. More so than for any other talent guild in the Hollow. She was grounded and it made her feel sick to her stomach to know it couldn't be changed.

"Huh? What's that?" she muttered. Vidia had spotted a strange sight in the sky. It was long, white, rail thin and crawled slowly from east to west. "What a strange looking cloud. If it is a cloud."

**~O~**

The hot water rained down on her cream colored skin. Claire switched from spray to pulse. The beating of the water felt wonderful as it massaged her aching muscles. Slowly Claire washed away all of her sweat, aches and worries. All but one. How to accept Vidia into her heart and treat her as her little girl once again. It seemed that there were no easy answers.

Afterwards, Claire sat at the edge of her bed clean as a whistle. The hot shower felt so good and she smelled so clean and fresh. Her work clothes were another matter. They still carried the stench of paint, lacquer and the solvent that were used to remove both from the walls and trim of the Town Hall.

She was about to ask Penny if she wanted to stay for dinner again when Claire noticed the flashing message light on her cell phone. Two people had called. One wanted his leaves raked while the other needed branches trimmed and readied for the annual brush pickup.

Claire wanted to get started as soon as possible. The contract with the city was paying nicely, but she was still in debt and had to come up with extra money to meet both her debts and the monthly bills. Mr. Gold may have helped Valerie stay out of jail, but he would still throw them all out onto the street if she couldn't make her payment on time.

Remembering that Paul and Ben were always looking for more work she gave them a call and arranged to pick them up. Claire dressed quickly and hurried out of the house leaving young Tina in charge of the house. "Don't do anything until I get back. And wash our work clothes."

The door hadn't been closed for five seconds when Tina started grousing, "Aw, man. We we're having so much fun."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Early Edwardian Period)

Tink felt satisfied that her new inventions were speeding up the work for so many talents in Pixie Hollow. Many of the guild overseers were quite welcoming of her ideas and implemented them once they proved to be effective and safe which they always were.

Tinker Bell had learned long ago to implement a lengthy "testing phase" to ensure anything coming out of her workshop was safe, easy to use and always in perfect working order. It gave her a good feeling to know she was improving both her home and the lives of those who lived here.

Soon, though, things changed. All of her advancements left Tinker Bell in an unusual bind. There was very little for her to invent. It turned out that she had done such a great job of tinkering her new inventions that they needed no improvement. Tinker Bell tried to fill her free time by spending it with Terence, but he was quite busy. His promotion to Assistant Overseer meant he woke up extra early and spent most of his time studying and practicing well into the night.

On the rare occasions that Tink and Terence could spend some time together he usually greeted her with an exasperated, "How does Fairy Gary _do_ this every day?"

This left her feeling alone for the first time since she and Terence started dating. Tink tried to reconnect with her friends and her sister, all of whom got pushed aside by her relationship. However, her thoughts always turned back to two things: first that she really missed Terence and second she was beginning to feel useless as a tinker.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Rumpelstiltskin and his son quietly approached the Duke's castle late in the evening. The sun had gone down and most of the people inside were preparing for bed. Father and son were busily laying hay at the base of the castle walls so they could set the castle ablaze.

The night Hordor humiliated Rumpel in the forest, the old beggar who came to his aid revealed a grand tale. Why would a creature as powerful as The Dark One work for a fool like the Duke? He had been enthralled. The Dark One had a dagger upon which his real name was etched. Whosoever possessed this dagger controlled The Dark One, and the Duke had taken ownership of this magical talisman.

"If you were to take the dagger," the beggar told Rumpelstiltskin that night, "then you would control The Dark One. If you kill The Dark One with that dagger you will make his powers your own."

Those words were all that Rumpel needed to save his son from the battlefield. He and Bealfire spent the entire day soaking wool in melted sheep's fat to make them as flammable as possible. But Bealfire, who now understood that his father was indeed a coward, wanted to go to the frontlines and fight.

The father realized that his son was romanticizing war. Bae must have thought if he could join the conflict and slay the beasts he would come home a hero, washing away forever the stigma of his father's cowardice.

"The Duke doesn't want you to fight," Rumpel explained to him, "he wants you to die." To prove his point, Rumpelstiltskin pointed to the red sky in the distance, which was now closer than it was yesterday. "That's not the fires of the front line, my boy, that's the blood of children."

Rumpel believed that by taking custody of the dagger he could use these powers to end the fighting and save Baelfire's life, along with the lives of countless others. That the Duke had never done this only proved his pettiness and stupidity. He would rather turn the powers of the most powerful wizard in the land against his own people than use it to save them.

That was why they were here this night. To set fire to the castle and during the commotion steal the dagger. The walls of the castle were stone as Baelfire pointed out, but the floors, rafters and verandas were made of wood and they would burn. When the hay was set ablaze the flames licked up high on the wall, catching the veranda and canopy on fire. Soon other objects within the castle caught fire, as well.

Just as he planned it, the fire swept through the interiors burning anything that was combustible: drapes, carpets, tapestries, furniture. It all went up. Taking advantage of the confusion, Rumpel snuck inside and searched the castle grounds. Eventually he found what he was looking for. Hidden behind a burning tapestry was a Kris type dagger, known by its wavy blade, and the name Zoso etched upon it.

Now he was the master of this powerful mage and Rumpel had what needed to erase his past, save his son's future and end the war in one fell swoop.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Hey, why not have Valerie wash the clothes?" Penny suggested to Tina.

"Mom told me to do it," the slender blonde answered. "She'll go nuts if I pawn it off on Val."

"She needs to learn, doesn't she?" Penny replied.

Tina thought this over. "Yes. Yes she does. And I can just tell mom I was helping her adjust to life in the twenty-first century."

**~O~**

"You want me to what?" Vidia asked with a confused, but suspicious tone.

"Mom wants the work clothes the two of you wore today washed," Tina replied. She was standing in the doorway of Valerie's bedroom. She kept feeling a bit awkward. Ever since their father died Valerie had become more and more detached and irrational, turning into a Goth in the process. She had changed the décor of the room to reflect her new found nihilism.

Now all of that was gone as Vidia had insisted on removing every bit of that "dark and gloomy" stuff. It was like looking into a stranger's room.

"Tinker Bell! I am a fa-."

"Fast flying fairy. Yeah, yeah, I know. Well today, you're a clothes washing fairy."

"And where am I going to wash these clothes?" Vidia asked petulantly. "The shore? A stream? Should I beat them against a rock?"

"No. Just use the machine. Geez."

"Machine?"

In the middle of the upstairs hallway was a set of double doors. Behind them, Tina revealed, was a pair of devices called a washer and a dryer. Tina rather casually ran through the dials and settings for both as Vidia tried to understand things like "wash and wear" and "fluff."

"You put the detergent from this red bottle in first," Tina said demonstrating how to measure using the cap. "Then you add some fabric softener from the blue bottle into this tray on the side. Now, since you've got some really ugly stains and, ugh, horrible smells you should probably run the normal cycle twice just to be sure."

"How do I do that?"

"Uh, just repeat the steps, of course," Tina grumbled. "Then when you're done, stick them into the dryer and let them tumble dry on low heat for about an hour."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Vidia just stared at the two white colored machines. "This is going to be so much easier than I thought."

"Yeah, just remember to take the clothes out of the dryer and hang them up before they wrinkle."

"Gotcha." Vidia hesitated for a moment. "Which one does the washing again?"

**~O~**

With less than an hour of useable light remaining, Claire dropped off Ben and Paul so they could rake and bag leaves. She went to the other house to trim branches. When she arrived Claire waited for the owner of the house to answer the doorbell. She had contacted him earlier to let him know she would be coming today to start work.

"Where is he?" Claire rang the doorbell a second time.

Splak!

"What was that?"

Splak! …Splak! Splak! Splak! …Splak!

Claire wheeled around to find three kids throwing eggs at her truck. "Hey! Stop that!" she yelled, chasing after them. The kids ran, laughing hatefully as they did. Claire then saw that they written "Bitch!" in the dust that covered her vehicle.

She groaned, complaining she would have to wash her vehicle to remove both the eggs and the epithet. "I hope the car wash is still open."

"Here, let me help." A freezing cold spray of water hit her with a shock from behind. The cold autumn weather made it feel even worse. "We read the papers. This is what you get for what you did to your daughter," a man yelled at her. "You call yourself a mother? I'd deck you if you weren't a woman."

"Stop it!" Claire yelled. "Stop it! I'll catch cold."

"You'll get no sympathy from us," a female voice said. A stern looking woman stood nearby, a cruel smile curling her lips. "Spray her some more," she goaded.

Another vehicle drove up, screeching to a halt. Claire could not tell who it was, she was too busy trying to deflect the sharp spray of water. She did, however, recognize the voice.

"ENOUGH!" It was the throaty timber of Hartley Winter. "Stop this instant."

"Make me, you stupid limey," the man coarsely challenged.

Two seconds later Claire heard the very distinct sound of Hartley's fist decking the man in the jaw. In the next instant the cold water stopped hitting her. Then she heard the screams from the man and woman who had been assailing her. When she looked up, Hartley was dousing them both with the same garden hose they had been using against her.

He tossed the garden hose to the ground, locking the jet sprayer so it would flow and run up the couple's water bill.

Then he put his coat around Claire's shoulders. "Come with me before you get sick."

* * *

**I hope everyone is continuing to enjoy this story. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thank you.**


	91. Chapter 91

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 8, Chapter 4**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Here, drink this," Hartley instructed in a kind voice.

"Thank you." Claire sipped hot chocolate to warm herself. "How did you know where to find me?"

"I went to your house and Tina informed me," he confessed. "I went to offer a helping hand."

"I'm so glad you did," she responded with a blushing smile. "I can't believe what those people did. Or that I fell for it so easily."

"Do not blame yourself," he told her. "They are nothing but hooligans. Disgraceful people."

Claire loved how his proper British accent could make even words like hooligan sound so charming. She was tickled by it.

Hartley Winter had taken Claire to his house. She sat at his kitchen table wearing his robe, a thick, ice blue colored terry cloth affair under which was one his t-shirts and a pair of boxer shorts. "If I were to fit into these, I'd kill myself," she teased. Fortunately they didn't, but some well-placed safety pins did help the matter.

"Would you care for some dinner?" he asked.

"Why thank you, kind sir," she answered. "But first I have to call my girls. Oh! My two day laborers. I need to pick them up."

"Leave that to me," he told her. He arranged for Ned to pick up the two at the house where they were working, while Claire called home to inform Tina of what happened. "I'll be here for some time waiting for my clothes to dry, can you manage on your own until I get there?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Okay, dear. Bye."

"Everything alright?" Hartley asked her.

"Oh yes. Tina is a very responsible young woman. I'm so very proud of her."

"Excellent. Now then, would you like to stay for dinner?"

**~O~**

"Tinker Bell! HELP!" Vidia called. "HELP!"

Tina and Penny ran upstairs to a washing machine knocking and spitting out suds. "What happened? What did you do?" she asked accusingly.

"I don't know," Vidia replied, "I did everything you said." She did, however, confess to putting in much more soap than was necessary. "I thought that more soap would get the clothes clean faster."

Tina pulled the dial which stopped the machine. "Just let me finish this," Tina gasped. Vidia retreated to her room, unhappy with Tina's angry response. The young blonde turned the dial to "spin" and pushed it back down again. The machine began to drain the excess soap and water from the drum. Her plan was to remove as much of the soap as she could, rinse and then let the washer run an entire wash cycle to clear out the remaining suds. Tina was quite fortunate that nothing spilled over.

_Unfortunately_, when the machine tried to run the spin cycle, nothing happened. The cover was down which unlocked the safety, however, the transmission did not engage and Tina could not hear the drum moving. "Oh no. Val broke it. Now what?"

Seconds later the house phone rang. It was her mother calling to say she would be late. "…can you manage on your own until I get there?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Okay, dear. Bye"

"Bye, Mom." Tina hung up the phone. "Houston, we have a problem."

"Well can't you fix it?" Penny asked.

"If I had the time…, and the parts. But Mom will be home in about an hour or so. I can't hide this from her. I'm doomed."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Early Edwardian Period)

"Hey, anything I can do to help?" Tinker Bell asked some garden fairies who were painting leaves in the Autumn Forest. Tink facing a serious bout of depression and needed something to do.

"No, you've done plenty already," Daffodil sneered.

"Um, okay." Tinker Bell was perplexed by the strange response. She flitted over to another tree and asked the garden fairies who were working there.

"We're just fine," Bluebonnet sniffed. "We don't need any _tinker_ interference."

"What? Hey, what's gotten into you?" Tink asked.

"Humph, like you don't know," Bluebonnet replied indignantly.

"Tink! Tink, I have to talk to you." Rosetta come barreling through the branches to pull her friend away from the angry garden talents. They found a secluded spot to talk.

"What's going on?" the little blonde asked her friend.

"It's a revolt," Rosetta answered worriedly. "The garden fairies don't want to use your inventions. They say it stunts their talent."

"What? That's impossible. It helps them work faster and better."

"Faster, yes, but not better," said Sprig, a tall garden fairy with dark brown hair. She was known for a brusque and opinionated personality. Her honesty and directness could sound cruel even when it was unintentional, which was often. She had followed the pair to deliver a rebuke. As she spoke several other garden talent fairies and sparrow men joined her.

"Watch yourself," Rosetta advised.

"Your invention is certainly faster, but the results are deadening and dull," Sprig said angrily. Sprig orated a manifesto of sorts as she spoke. "We don't want your machines muddying up our talent. We pride ourselves on our artistry and your machines rob us of that. Production is bland, homogeneous and uninspired. In a word: repulsive. We garden fairies revel in our talent and in the lovely colors we paint the leaves of the forest and the flowers of our gardens. Each nuance of color is an expression, every brush stroke a work of art. At least to those of us with the intelligence to know the difference."

Sprig addressed that last line directly at Rosetta who championed Tinker Bell's sprayers.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rosetta responded defensively.

"You know exactly what I mean. I see the despair in your face, Rosetta. Each time you use that machine to spritz a flower a little bit of you dies. The brush is like an extension of our bodies, the paint an extension of our souls. With your machines, tinker fairy, our flowers look lifeless and soulless."

To prove her point Sprig brought with her a sample of a hand painted leaf and one tinted with Tink's sprayer. The hand painted one was clearly different. Brush strokes created subtle and beautiful changes from one color to another. The different hues, tints, shades and tones on a single leaf were enlivening and wondrous.

The leaf sprayed with Tink's invention also had different hues, tints, shades and tones. However, these did not bleed into each other with any skill or heart. Tinker Bell had designed the sprayer to replicate the different colors that were applied to leaves. However, what it could not replicate was the artistry, liveliness and inventiveness which resulted from the painstaking process of painting by hand.

"We are artisans who take pride in our work. What you are asking us to do is an insult to our talent. With these machines any idiot can paint flowers. And where will that leave us?"

"But you have more free time to explore your talents," Tinker Bell said in her defense, hoping to rescue her machines from the scrap heap. "Now you can stretch your artisanship, free your soul to do what previous garden talents could never do?"

"THAT'S WHAT WE WERE DOING BEFORE YOUR STUPID MACHINES GOT IN THE WAY!" Sprig shouted furiously. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. "You restrain us and make us into talentless drones. That is _not_ who we are," Sprig said, finishing with emphasis.

"Ask her how many machines she's tinkered for her own guild," Bluebonnet yelled. "I'll tell you: none. She's a hypocrite."

"Yeah, she pollutes _our_ guild with this trash, but keeps her own pure," Foxglove bellowed. This was followed by a hail of boos. "What is Rosetta going to do about this outrage?"

"Nothing," Sprig announced. "She will do nothing. After all, friendship means more than guild solidarity, doesn't it?"

Tinker Bell looked at her friend. The redhead appeared ashamed. "Ro? Do you hate my sprayer, too?"

"I.., I don't hate it, sugarplum. But the flowers don't look as pretty," she painfully admitted.

This hurt Tinker Bell. It cut her so deeply that she felt betrayed. "Fine. Do whatever you want. I was just trying to help," Tink whimpered as she turned to flitter away.

"Tink, wait," Rosetta called out to her.

"Let her be, Ro," Sprig said. "Eventually Tink will understand. She just needs some time to calm down and think about this rationally."

The other garden fairies dispersed, dropping their leaf and flower sprayers into a pile. Rosetta, however, watched as Tinker Bell slowly flittered away. Ro could see the despair her friend was feeling just by the way she flew.

"Oh, Tink. I'm so sorry."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Regina was in a very sour attitude on her drive home. When Emma Swan barged into her office and pointed out that according to the town charter the mayor only had the power to appoint a candidate, she knew exactly who had informed her: Mr. Gold. And she had just left his store after a rather disquieting conversation with the man.

"You're the only one who could know about that loophole," she had said, calling him out.

He admitted to having a penchant for such things. "I prefer small weapons, a dagger, a pen, the fine point of a deal."

Regina could not understand why he had decided to back Ms. Swan. Gold said that they both wanted the same thing, they were just taking different paths. As for Ms. Swan, she was doing this for her son.

"She's not _her_ son," Regina stated hotly. "Not legally."

It was a meaningless point. Emma was Henry's biological mother, legal or not biology still mattered. It was the driving force in Emma's life right now, doing what she thought was best for Henry.

That was the key point that Regina hated the most. Biology was not something that could be so easily severed. She would have to resort to her old tricks again.

Her phone rang, a call from her pet enforcer Sydney Glass. He had some good news for a change. Using Regina's influence he had managed to locate more dirt on Ms. Swan. It was quite damning in fact.

"Good, make it your lead story in tomorrow's paper," she ordered. Finally, something that could drive a wedge between Emma and her son. And if nothing else, it would sink Swan's bid for sheriff.

**~O~**

"Thank you, that was a delicious meal," Claire said. Hartley had served pasta in meat sauce which Claire could not stop talking about. "It tasted so authentic."

"I have a confession to make," he said. "It came from a bottle."

This minor revelation sent both in a fit of giggles. "Oh, well, I certainly stepped into it that time, didn't I?" Claire said.

"Well, I did open the bottle and heat the sauce," Hartley said, "that should count for something."

Claire laughed even more. "Oh, Hartley. Knight in shining armor, cook, comedienne, is there anything you can't do?"

"Why don't we find out?" Hartley Winter took Claire in hand and brought her into the living room where he pulled the coffee table aside. He turned on the radio to the local station which was playing Christmas carols.

"Shall we?"

"I'm not dressed for it."

"Nonsense, you look stunning." Hartley Winter put his arm around her waist and clasped his hand to hers. The two danced and swayed in rhythm to the music. At first, Claire couldn't stop giggling. He in his work clothes, she in a robe. They must have made for quite the odd looking pair. Yet each fell under the spell of the music and the moment and neither wanted it to end.

Eventually the dryer's buzzer sounded disrupting their pas de deux.

"My clothes are ready, I should get dressed," Claire said, wishing for more time.

"You don't have to go right away," Hartley answered.

Claire shook her head, "I can't. My girls are waiting and I need to make them something for dinner."

Hartley nodded and smiled. "I understand. Your children are your first priority."

"Thank you," she said with a smile before going to the laundry room to collect her things.

Hartley lamented that he could not find a reasonable excuse for her to stay a little longer. But he treasured the time they did have and before Claire left he arranged for them to meet again in two days' time for a proper date. "I look forward to it," she told him.

Before saying goodbye they kissed ever so sweetly. It sent Claire home dancing on a cloud.

* * *

**Yeah, wait till Claire gets home. That isn't going to be pretty. Thank you reading. Feedback is always appreciated.  
**


	92. Chapter 92

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 8, Chapter 5**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire's good mood was instantly spoiled when she came home to find Tina and Penny sitting in the upstairs hallway, the washing machine pulled aside, its back plate against the wall and grease on the carpet.

"What happened here?" Claire shrieked. "You said everything was fine?"

Tina had little choice but tell her mother what she had done. This made Claire furious. First, she excused Penny telling her it was best if she went home. Once alone Claire lit into her youngest. "I told _you_ to wash clothes, not ask your sister to do it."

"She needed to learn," Tina said hoping to come up with some kind of defense.

"And she will, under my supervision and I certainly won't just give her some instructions and leave her alone," Claire replied. "I told Hartley how proud I was of you and your sense of responsibility. Then I come home to this. I am so disappointed in you, Tina."

Those words cut Tina to the quick. They were spoken often in this house, but they had always been directed at Valerie. Now they were being spoken to her. At this moment Tina wished she had her old sister back if for no other reason than Valerie made Tina look like a saint by comparison.

Claire huffed and sighed and face palmed all the while trying not to lose her temper. "All right, what's wrong with it?"

Tina didn't answer at first, still feeling the sting from her mother's scolding.

"Well?!"

"The transmission is shot, I think" Tina finally uttered. "We need a new one."

Claire groaned loudly. "I don't need this right now. Okay, okay. Can you replace it?"

"Yes," Tina barely answered.

"Good, tomorrow we go to the repair shop and order one," Claire told her. "In the meantime we'll just have to wash our clothes at the Laundromat. Now put everything back and clean up this mess." Claire pointed at the grease that had been worked into the carpet. "Scrub this out with the steam machine. We can't afford a new carpet."

Claire went to Valerie's room, but before entering she added, "And next time use a drop cloth."

Tina put the broken machine back together just enough so it could be pushed back into the closet. Then she used the industrial carpet steam cleaner normally employed for onsite jobs to remove the grease stains. In the meantime Claire and Vidia went downstairs to prepare an evening meal for the two girls.

**~O~**

"What about you?" Vidia asked.

"I, uh, I had dinner with Mr. Winter," Claire told her. "While my clothes were drying."

"Great! Good," Vidia said, nearly leaping out of her shoes with excitement. "You and Lord Milori are meant for each other."

Claire, who was already upset, slammed down the knife she was using to cut vegetables and nearly exploded. "I am not a queen of anything, Valerie. I am Claire Kensington. A widowed mother raising two daughters trying to do something I was never trained to do. Hartley Winter isn't some Lord of the Rings or fairy man. He repairs air conditioners. Tina is not Tinker Bell, and you are not a rocket powered fairy. You are Valerie Kensington, a baby girl we adopted. This is who we are, that is all we are. Now please just drop it."

The harshness in Claire's tone was painful for Vidia to hear. Queen Clarion never allowed her emotions to bubble to the surface. She was always the model of assured grace under pressure. Claire on the other hand always seemed at wits end. Of course, it had only been two weeks since Vidia had woken up in this human city one hundred years into the future. She had no idea of what Claire was like prior to recent events.

Still, to listen to her queen act in such a hurtful way was despairing. Vidia knew she was going to have a hard time muddling through it all. She decided then to act somewhat diplomatically. "Who was Val…, I mean who was I… before…"

Claire's upset mood colored her words as she spat them out. "You were an obnoxious girl who refused to take orders, talked back all the time and wasn't the slightest bit grateful for what I was trying to do for you."

Vidia softened the blow of those words with a bit of snarky humor. "That's me alright. Guess I haven't changed much."

"That's not funny," Claire hissed. "That is not one damn bit funny. Valerie may have been a thorn in my side, but she was my baby girl and I loved her. You? I don't know who the hell you are."

After that neither talked much except to finish cooking.

**~O~**

Upstairs Tina was in a pouty mood, still angry with how her mother treated her. She called up Blake. "Do you still want to take me to the stables?"

"Yeah, sure," Blake answered, excited to hear this news. "When?"

"Tomorrow. Pick me up after school. Mom thinks I'm going to study with a friend. She'll never know."

"Okay, see you then."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Early Edwardian Period)

They had, at one time, been Pixie Hollow's most adorable couple. Tinker Bell and Terence. For many seasons they had danced around their feelings for each other. It was the worst keep secret in the entire realm of the Never Fairies. When these two young ones finally declared their love for each other it was as if the entire Hollow released its collective breath. Finally, they were together.

It was expected that their love would last. They had been friends for so long, they had cared deeply for each other and supported each other in their individual endeavors. They were a match so perfect that only the queen and her true love Lord Milori could surpass them in that regard.

Thus it came as a complete and utter shock when Tinker Bell and Terence had their first public argument. It was expected that any new couple would endure growing pains in the early months of their relationship. This argument, though, was explosive and seethed with anger, resentment and pent up frustration. This wasn't a minor tiff that flowers and chocolates could smooth over. This was the utter disintegration and dissolution of what should have been a grand love affair.

Tink was known for her wild mood swings. She was a super talented genius and, like Vidia another super talent, could be very temperamental. Terence on the other hand was almost the total opposite. He was patient, kind, generous to a fault, loving, caring and seemed to have a knack for dealing with Tink's depressing lows and joyous highs.

Yet when they burst into a raging argument over seemingly petty things, the tone spoke of a deeper problem. One that was systemic and threatened to destroy the very love that had brought them together.

Tink was beset by the greatest fear any tinker could have. Nothing to fix, nothing to invent, nothing to challenge her intellect. She was rendered useless by her own devices. Most guilds welcomed her bigger inventions, ideas that improved workflow or allowed for the faster production of supplies, but many of her smaller ideas used at the point of production were rejected by guilds that found that these machines diminished the quality of their output. Trading away originality for blasé uniformity. The skills of craftsmanship and artistry were robbed by these things and every guild that received them disavowed every last one. This left Tinker Bell feeling unwanted, unchallenged and without use or worth.

Terence, on the other hand, was being pulled in every direction. He was a dust keeper, and was training rigorously as Fairy Gary's assistant which in and of itself was like two jobs in one. His responsibilities began with developing schedules for each day, then mapping routes, determining how much dust to produce daily and ensuring its proper distribution to every fairy and every guild and also to the monarchy which had its own purposes for the dust.

At the end of each day he was also in charge of clean up, doggedly recovering every last grain of their precious dust. To make matters worse, there was a population explosion on the mainland. More babies being born meant more new fairies arriving. This stretched the available supply of pixie dust thinner and thinner each year. Fairy Gary suggested that if this trend continued they may not be able to produce enough dust to go around within twenty five years or so.

When he could, Terence assisted Zarina with her alchemy classes. As Zarina's best and most creative graduate he visited regularly to teach her new students by sharing his own creative processes to help inspire them.

This dedication to his guild meant he had no time for Tinker Bell or her mood swings. He had always been a steadying force in her life, but no longer. When she came to him seeking sympathy and a shoulder to cry on he was swamped with work and had no patience for her. What little time they could spend with each other almost always ended in an argument over priorities, needs and time. Those clashes were always kept private and no one knew how badly their relationship had deteriorated until they burst into fits of screaming accusations in public.

"Is that all you ever think about," Tinker Bell shrieked, "your job."

"It's important to me," Terence barked in reply. "It's all I've ever wanted in my life."

"Oh? And what about me? You don't care about me anymore?"

"Here it comes, the guilt trip," Terence groaned.

"My life is turned upside down and you don't even care!"

"Oh well excuuuse me! Tinker Bell is having one of her little fits. Okay, everyone. Drop whatever you are doing and let us all give her a great big hug so she doesn't have to feel so bad."

"You are so mean, Terence."

"Hey, if you didn't take everything so flapping personally you wouldn't need someone to rush to your side every five seconds. Now do us all a favor and _get over yourself_."

Tinker Bell wept. "I hate you!" she shouted.

"Yeah, well I hate you more!" Terence shouted back.

Rosetta, Vidia, Bolt, Stone and all of their friends and guild mates were blindsided by what they heard. Rosetta tried to comfort Tinker Bell, but she wanted no part of the garden fairy's useless platitudes. Stone tried to talk with Terence, but he had schedules to make, delivery routes to assign and pixie dust to ration.

Queen Clarion was absolutely flabbergasted when she heard the news. "They've grown apart," she surmised correctly. "They need each other more than ever and can't even stand still long enough to realize this."

"Yes, they've spent nary a day together in the past two seasons," Fairy Mary told her best friend, the queen. "Tinker Bell has been so depressed lately she's hardly ever at work. What are we going to do?"

Clarion took it upon herself to act as counselor between the two former lovebirds. Unfortunately the sessions always ended up the same: shouting, recriminations and accusations of heartless ambition and overblown drama.

It all looked so bleak for them. If the queen could not remedy their relationship, what hope did they have?

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Success. With the dagger in his possession and hidden in the folds of his clothing, Rumpelstiltskin stole away into the night. The fires in the Duke's castle providing just enough light for him to navigate through the forest to make good his escape.

Baelfire greeted him a safe distance away. "Father are you alright?" the boy asked.

"Yes, Bae, I'm fine. Now please go home," the boy was told. Baelfire did as instructed. Though he was clearly worried for his father.

Now that he was alone Rumpelstiltskin removed the kris dagger from its hiding place. The power this dagger represented would change his life and his fortunes. Ever since being branded a coward for running away during the Ogre Wars he had lost his wife, was shunned by his friends and suffered the resentment of those who lost loved ones in the war. There were even merchants and villagers who refused to do business with him for this reason alone. Rumpel and his son moved frequently hoping to escape his stigma, but no matter where he went in the Duke's realm, his reputation would always find him.

Tonight everything would change for the better. All that was needed was to summon the Dark One. A glance at the dagger revealed the true name of this powerful wizard. Zoso.

Rumpel called out that name. "Zoso. Zoso I summon thee."

Suddenly the Dark One appeared. Dressed in black clothing, his face was partially obscured by the magic that coursed through him.

"I have the dagger," Rumpel stated, showing it to the black mage.

"So you do," Zoso replied. His voice sounded like death itself.

"I command you," Rumpel said to him. He made his voice loud trying to project an authority he did not have. It was plainly obvious that he was afraid of the powerful wizard that was at his beck and call.

"What would you have me do?" It was a straightforward question to which Rumpelstiltskin could not provide a straight forward answer. Thus he remained silent, too frightened to speak and too petrified to run.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Early the next morning, the first thing Claire did was wake Vidia and apologize for last night. "I am so sorry for how I acted," she said. "I was very angry at Tina for so many things. I should not have taken it out on you." Her tone was honest, but not particularly heartfelt.

Tina was dropped at school. Claire then picked up Paul and Ben to continue work at the Town Hall. Claire just hoped she could withstand another verbal assault from Mayor Mills. Strangely it didn't come today leaving Claire confused, but relieved.

**~O~**

By lunch time news that Emma Swan had been jailed at the age of eighteen for possession of stolen property with intent to sell spread throughout town thanks to an article in the local paper. Her prison mug shot was splashed across the front page. The lead article also detailed how she gave birth to Henry while in prison and gave him up for adoption because she had no life to offer him while she was an inmate.

Upon reading this article Claire was left feeling dubious about the candidate she had chosen to back in the upcoming election. A prison record meant that Emma had made serious mistakes in her past. This did not mean she was still the same person, but did anyone really know?

**~O~**

After school let out Emma met up with Henry at Granny's Diner. He was reading the paper. "Is this true?" he asked her. The article was written by Sydney Glass and Henry knew better than to trust anything he wrote.

Unfortunately, Emma had to admit that it was all true. He looked disappointed. "This is why good can't beat evil because good doesn't do this kind of thing. You can't win against my mom, she's evil. She always plays dirty."

"I have a new ally, Mr. Gold is going to help," Emma said with confidence.

Henry was horrified by this news. "Mr. Gold? He's even worse," he told her. He was very worried that Emma, already owing him one favor, may end up owing him another.

Her reaction told him all he needed to know. She had not thought about that aspect of this agreement. She just wanted to beat Regina and might have gotten in over her head.

**~O~**

Blake picked up Tina from school and brought her to the stables. He met with a friend who gave them the full tour. He pointed out every aspect of how the horses were cared for, fed and housed. Tina was shown proper equine etiquette and then was allowed to pet and then later brush one of the horses.

In the infirmary, the two were shown a horse and her new foal. The tiny creature had not yet stood up and was being encouraged by its mother. When the tour ended Tina was given a special treat arranged by Blake himself.

She rode a horse for the first time in her life. The instructor who accompanied her was surprised at how well she managed. "Most new riders tend to bounce all over their saddles, but you were like a seasoned pro. You sure you've never done this before?" the instructor asked.

"Yeah, never. I've never even seen a horse up close before," Tina said, her enthusiasm bubbling over after the experience.

"Well, what did you think?" Blake asked the blond.

"That was great!" she bubbled. "We have to do this again!"

Blake smiled. This was her best day in a long time.

**~O~**

Tina was dropped off minutes before Claire and Vidia returned home from working at the Town Hall. Claire had sealed and stacked all the containers and drums of solvent and paint against the wall next to the stairs. Plastic and placards were left hanging to protect their work as they left it to try overnight. She then made sure every can and drum was tightly sealed before leaving for the day. Regina was still in her office working late when they left for the evening. No one in Claire's work detail would be subjected to more of her disparaging words. At least not tonight.

Claire picked up Tina and drove to the repair store to order the transmission for the washing machine. As it turned out, no new parts could be purchased as the manufacturer was now long defunct. Only rebuilt parts were available. Fortunately, the owner of the store had a couple in stock and offered a small discount in exchange for the non-working transmission. "I sell them off to be rebuilt," he told them. The worried look on their faces prompted him to offer a one year warranty at no extra charge.

On the drive home Claire noticed a bright glow coming from the center of town. It illuminated the night sky.

"Where is that coming from?" she asked.

"It looks like the Town Hall," Vidia answered.

"Oh no…"

**~O~**

Emma Swan barged into Mayor Mills' office… again. This time with the newspaper in hand.

"This was a Juvie Record," Emma told Regina point blank. Emma's juvenile prison records were sealed by law. Only a court order could unseal them and only with sufficient reason. A minor election in a small town shouldn't have been sufficient.

"What's wrong? Afraid people will learn you cut Henry's cord with a shiv?" Regina answered back in a most smug tone. "Well anyway, you can always explain yourself at the debate."

"Debate?" Emma asked, confused. There was to be a debate held in the auditorium of Town Hall. "I hope you'll be ready for it, Ms. Swan."

Emma's concern wasn't so much for herself, but for Henry. "How does it look to him to see his adopted mother and birth mother fighting it out like this?"

Henry was in therapy, was the mayor's reply. Regina, however, seemed to be more concerned with whom Emma had turned to for help with her campaign. "You should be more careful with who you get in bed with?"

"I'm not getting into bed with anyone," Emma replied as they descended the stairs, passing directly in front of where Claire was storing her solvents and paint cans for the night. "I'm just fighting fire with fi-."

BOOM!

A powerful explosion knocked the two women off their feet and set the walls of the Town Hall ablaze. Emma got to her feet immediately, but Regina couldn't, her ankle was injured. Flames blocked their escape path to the front doors. Emma could run through unharmed, but Regina could not. She would be forced to hobble slowly through the flames and suffer burns if she tried.

Emma disappeared through a doorway, seeming to leave Regina to her fate. Seconds later, though, she returned with a fire extinguisher to clear a path so both women could escape safely from the burning building.

Fire trucks arrived seconds later to put out the fires while Sydney Glass and his photographer took pictures of Emma rescuing the mayor. "No, you idiot," Regina growled. "She's the competition."

Crowds of onlookers quickly gathered to witness the spectacle and determine if anyone was hurt. Claire was horrified to see the building she had been working so hard to restore now in flames. All that time and effort wasted. She also gave thought to what would happen to her contract. Would she even have a job tomorrow morning?

As soon as word spread among the onlookers that Emma had rescued the mayor from the burning building they crowded around her and began offering their help in the campaign. Juvenile record or not, Emma had proven she was a true hero at heart. She even used this to bolster Henry's spirits, showing him that good could defeat evil without resorting to dirty tricks.

"Maybe you're right?" he said. And he smiled, the first smile she had seen on his face in days.

**~O~**

When the firefighters began to remove charred wood and debris from the building Emma spotted something among the rubble. It was a tightly wrapped piece of something that stuck out like a sore thumb. When she picked it up Emma quickly recognized it was wool. The smell it gave off was extremely pungent… and quite familiar.

She knew right away this fire wasn't an accident.

* * *

**Whew, this chapter really covered a lot of territory didn't it? I hope you have enjoyed following along so far. Thank you for reading.**


	93. Chapter 93

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 8, Chapter 6**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire was busy getting her two girls ready for the day. The fire at Town Hall last night left her job in limbo. A cause had not yet been determined, however, as soon the city was ready she wanted to be prepared to go back to work. Then a knock came at the front door.

Mayor Mills was standing in the doorway with a grin on her face when greeted by Claire. "The fire department has issued a preliminary report on the cause of that fire in Town Hall last night," the mayor said. "They seem to think that flammable solvents were left improperly sealed and stored, Mrs. Kensington."

"No, I checked and double checked those cans and drums myself last night," Claire said in her defense. "Every single one was correctly sealed and properly stored.

"Yes, well, while it is still a preliminary report I have little doubt the final report will be any different," the mayor replied. "Your contract with the city is terminated, and yes I have the authority to do so. Furthermore, you and your _little company_ will no longer be allowed to submit bids for city contracts. At least not as long as I'm mayor. I told you not to hire Paul and Ben, they have caused you nothing but trouble. Good day, Mrs. Kensington."

Claire closed the front door slowly. The shock of the news she had just received left her reeling.

"Mom?" Tina quietly asked.

She didn't even bother to turn around. "I'm sorry, my darlings. There won't be any work today." It was a pitiful reply, but it was all she could manage. In her head she imagined the worst case scenario. Being forced out of their home at the end of the month when Mr. Gold would foreclose on their property for non-payment. A "Merry" Christmas, indeed.

**~O~**

"You set that fire," Emma accused Mr. Gold. She had gone to his shop with the evidence in hand, the bound wool that smelled of lanolin, the same substance Gold was applying to something the day he offered her the walkie-talkies.

"What?" he replied trying to feign ignorance, but not too hard. "There is some work being done at the Town Hall, all those solvents lying around."

Emma knew better. She pressed him further asking why he did it. The pawn broker replied that IF he did, which he didn't, but IF he did it was so Emma could appear the hero and earn the respect of the citizens of Storybrooke. The only way she could win this election was if something dramatic happened to gain the sympathies of the people.

"How did you even know I would be there?" she asked.

"Regina isn't the only person with eyes all over town," he said, revealing the extent to which he would manipulate people and situations to his favor.

Henry was right. Mr. Gold _was_ far too dangerous to have as an ally.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Rumpelstiltskin was petrified of this creature. He wanted this power, but didn't know what do with it. Zoso, the Dark One, kept asking that same question. "You hold the dagger. Wield that power wisely. Now, what would you have me do?"

When Rumpel could provide no response Zoso answered for him. "The sun is rising. That mean it's your son's birthday. Hordor and his men are likely on their way to your home right now," the dark wizard told Rumpelstiltskin. "This is what you wanted, to save your son."

Rumpel could not make up his mind of what to do. Zoso began to insinuate that perhaps Baelfire wasn't really his son. Bae wasn't the coward that his father was, he had the fire in his belly for battle. This infuriated the otherwise humble spinner, who knew full well that Bae was his flesh and blood. Zoso then wanted to know if Rumpel had any intention of saving his bastard son.

"So I ask again, what would you have me do?"

"Die," Rumpelstiltskin said, plunging the dagger into the heart of The Dark One. Zoso fell to the ground. Rumpel held the dagger deep in the mage's chest to ensure death. Then the veil of dark magic that concealed Zoso's face was lifted and Rumpelstiltskin got his first clear look at who this man really was.

"You? The old beggar. But why?"

"My life has been such a burden," Zoso told him. His voice was no longer like death, but of the dying.

The dark magic began to leech out of Zoso's body and into Rumpelstiltskin. "What's happening to me?"

"It looks like you made a deal you didn't fully understand," Zoso told him with his last few breaths. "You'll never do that again. Magic always comes with a price and now it's yours to pay."

"You wanted me to kill you," Rumpel asked, frightened. "Why choose me?"

"Because I know how to recognize a desperate soul." Zoso laughed before drawing his last breath, grateful to be rid of this terrible curse.

When Rumpelstiltskin withdrew the dagger from the dead man's body he noticed that it had changed. No longer was the name Zoso engraved upon it. Now the dagger had written on it his own name.

_Rumpelstiltskin._

Now he was The Dark One, and all the good or ill that came with it.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

At a bulletin board just outside Town Hall, Mary Margaret was posting campaign posters for Emma Swan. The debate and subsequent vote were upcoming and she wanted Emma's face to be everywhere. It was there that she ran into David Nolan, the man she loved but could not have.

"I've got a job now," he told her.

"That's great, where?"

"At the animal shelter."

David was stapling up posters for Sydney Glass. His wife, Kathryn, was a friend of Regina so they both put their support behind the mayor's candidate. The awkwardness of this situation gave Mary Margaret pause. She pulled a thin excuse out of thin air so she could leave. Being around David was just too painful for her.

**~O~**

Claire stopped by Mr. Gold's shop to ask for more time in making her monthly payment. He refused, the contract she signed was ironclad and he was going to hold her to it.

She tried pleading with him. "Please, the fire at the Town Hall…"

"While most tragic doesn't change the fact that you still owe me my money."

"But I don't have a job."

"And how is that my problem?"

Claire sighed. "What if we struck a deal?"

"I doubt you have anything I would want, dearie." She could hear the dismissive tone in his voice.

"I have a few things of value I might be able to pawn, or offer in exchange for this month's payment," Claire replied.

"Such as?"

Claire told him about the piano she had in her living room. It was what she had used to offer music lessons while Charlie was still alive. The pawn broker wasn't terribly interested. Not enough to offset her bill this month.

"Alright, alright. What about this?" She choked up. Claire didn't want to part with these items, but her home was more important. On their fifth anniversary Charlie bought for her three signed and authenticated Boston Celtic jerseys once belonging to Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Larry Bird. The most devastating front court the Boston Celtics ever had. Claire, like Charlie, was a rabid sports fan and these collectible jerseys were like a dream come true for her. She remembered watching the Celtics win three NBA Championships during the 1980's as they engaged in epic battles in the NBA Finals against the "Showtime" Lakers which featured James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and point guard Magic Johnson.

"Well now, that might be worth my time," he said. "I'll see you this afternoon, say at one-thirty."

Claire got to keep her house for one more month, but at a terrible cost. She couldn't believe her bad luck. Her life had been difficult since Charlie passed away, but lately it seemed just that much more impossible. And today was the day for bad news to pile on. Claire received a telephone call from the insurance company telling her that the claim for Valerie's hospital stay was denied. Her injuries stemmed from an accident which occurred during the commission of a crime. This was in violation of her policy.

She pleaded with the representative over the phone, but the women Claire spoke to would not budge. The cost of Valerie's hospital stay was going to be enormous. She called up the hospital immediately to ask what could be done. The hospital would forgive some of the cost if Claire agreed to a payment plan. She agreed, though there was no more steady income to speak of.

"This is all I need, another bill to pay. As if I don't already have enough."

**~O~**

That afternoon, on schedule, Mr. Gold and two of his men arrived to meet with Claire. She showed him the three autographed jerseys. They had been carefully displayed in frames and were sealed against outside forces. He was impressed. The pawn broker carefully examined them. They were all in excellent condition. The authentication slips were from a well-respected company. He offered to take all three to forgive one month's payment.

"One month's? These are valuable enough for more than that," she told him.

"True, but one must consider that I have to display them in my shop and wait for the right buyers," he told her. "These do me no good if I can't sell them and recover the money you owe me."

She tried to negotiate a better price, but he refused. "This isn't _Pawn Stars_, dearie. You're dealing with me."

_I would rather be dealing with the Pawn Stars, _she thought_. At least Rick could appreciate these items far better than Mr. Gold ever could. _Though with her luck she might end up with that dimwit Chumlee.

She sighed. "Okay, it's a deal." Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop was the only such establishment in all of Storybrooke. Claire didn't have much of a choice other than to try and sell them on her own. But that would take time and she needed to make her monthly payment before the end of the month. With no steady income in the foreseeable future she willingly sacrificed these prized possessions to ensure at least one more month of living in this comfortable house. If she couldn't find work before then, then she and her two girls would be out on the street on the first of February.

Gold called in his two men who carefully removed the valuable jerseys to his van. Vidia watched the whole thing and was once again amazed at how easily Mr. Gold was able to order around the two men she had once known as Swift and Festus. The traitors of Pixie Hollow. She was angry, though, because they were taking something that Claire found to be of great personal value. It was as if they were taking their revenge for being banished. Vidia understood that her queen was becoming desperate. She tried to console Claire, but the older woman only retreated to her room where she preferred to remain alone.

**~O~**

That evening at the Town Hall auditorium the two candidates were set to have their debate. Emma was very worried about how she would perform. She wanted to prove to Henry that good guys can win without playing dirty.

Claire arrived with Vidia and Tina. This would be a new experience for Vidia. She had never participated in an election. Pixie Hollow was a monarchy. Every position of authority was either filled by virtue of a talent glow or was selected by the queen. The concept of a popular vote, while not alien to the fast flyer, was one which she had only observed from a distance. Now she would "have a voice" and Vidia would vote for Emma Swan if only to spite that sadistic mayor Regina Mills, and her lackey Sydney Glass who smeared Queen Clarion's good name with his trashy articles.

The three women tried to sit in the back row. Word had gotten around through the local television news that the suspected cause of the fire were the solvents which were supposedly stored improperly. The couple sitting next to them recognized who they were. "These are taken," the woman said with a glare. With no other options, Claire and both girls stood along the back wall. No one dared stand close to them.

Moments later the lights dimmed over the crowd that had gathered. Dr. Hopper introduced the candidates before turning the dais over to Sydney Glass for his opening statement. His lines, fed to him by Regina, were well rehearsed and little more than political speak.

When Emma Swan got up to deliver her opening address, she shocked everyone. They all knew of her "troubled past" thanks to the newspaper, but were willing to let it go because of what happened the other day with the fire. She revealed to everyone that the fire was staged, set by Mr. Gold. He had been supporting her campaign, but promised everyone she had no idea he would do such a thing.

Though she had no definitive proof of his involvement, she was quite certain of her instincts. As she spoke Mr. Gold stood up and angrily walked out of the auditorium, all but incriminating himself in the process. Emma said she wanted to win, but not in this way. She looked directly at Henry who smiled in return. She could see now just how much her integrity meant to him. Emma left the stage effectively conceding the debate and the election to Sydney Glass.

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Early Edwardian Period)

When Terence was called into Fairy Gary's office he fully expected to hear that he had been promoted from assistant trainee to full time assistant. His work thus far had been exemplary and his dedication could not be questioned.

Instead he was relieved of his duties.

"I know you've worked very hard to be my new assistant, Terence," Fairy Gary said as a way of apologizing, "and you've put aside everything else to be the very best assistant you can."

"Yeah, so why am I relieved of my duties?"

"Because I had not expected you to put aside your relationship with Tinker Bell."

"Tinker Bell? What did she say?" He was very accusing in his tone.

"She didn't say anything, Terence. We can all see it."

"See what?" the boy asked, confounded.

"You two used to be in love, now all you do is fight."

"Is that all? Fairy Gary, Tink is being unreasonable."

"Is she?" Gary responded. "Do you remember the accident that brought you two together? How depressed she was afterwards thinking she was a complete failure as a tinker fairy?"

"Yeah, I was there."

"Yes, you stayed by her side on your off time to lift her spirits, and something you said brought the girl around. Now what was it?"

**~O~**

_Terence was with Tinker Bell for the fifth straight day after the accident. She had sunk into such a deep depression that the little blonde tinker wouldn't even report to work. Not even a visit by her sister, Periwinkle, could snap Tink out of her misery._

_Tinker Bell had been working on another version of the Pixie Dust Express. She could never get the darn thing to work right no matter what alterations she made to it. Then Tink had a grand idea that she hoped would solve all of her problems. Instead, it sent the hydrofoil careening through the forest and into a log where it smashed spectacularly into a million pieces. She was injured and it left her unconscious for two days._

_Her recovery was complete, but it hurt her in other ways. Despite all of her other successes, her inability to make the Pixie Dust Express work made her believe she was a failure as a tinker fairy. _

_"How can I be the greatest talent in Pixie Hollow if I can't even make a simple boat work?" was her constant refrain. _

_She refused to work on anything afterwards. Terence couldn't stand to see her this way and tried his best to cheer the girl up. When she asked him why he even bothered he told her. _

_"Because I love you, Tink."_

_"I love you, too, Terence. You're my best friend."_

_"No, Tink. I mean I love you."_

_"Why? I'm nothing but a failure."_

_"Now why would I want to be in love with a failure?" He picked her up in his arms and kissed her ever so lovingly. "I know you, Tinker Bell, you are not a failure. You are a truly rare talent and you are very special to me."_

**~O~**

"Yeah, I remember," Terence said to his supervisor. "She was so giddy afterwards. We both were."

"That's right. We all need someone to boost or morale once in a while," Gary told him. "Tink, being a great talent, is more volatile than most and she needs someone like you around to keep an even keel."

"And I haven't been around to help her, have I?"

"No, you haven't. She's been disheartened that so many of her inventions have been rejected by the talent guilds lately and she is despairing again, just like before."

"What a fool I've been," Terence said, cupping his hands to the sides of his head.

"Aye, but the fault is not all yours, my boy," Gary said. "I asked you to become a full time assistant when I should have made you part time instead."

"That may be so, but I put my job ahead of everything else in my life. Poor Tink, she must hate me right now. I have to apologize. Thanks, Fairy Gary."

Terence flew out of the dust depot like a fast flyer. He came across Viola the queen's summoner and asked her to find Tinker Bell for him. She reminded him that her responsibility is to the queen. "Misuse of the Queen's summoner is a crime punishable by loss of one day's dust rations."

"But I have to find Tink. I need to apologize."

"Then you will be reconciling?" she asked.

"If she'll have me."

"Then I will locate her immediately."

"Great. Thanks. Tell her to meet me at my place. But don't tell her why, I want to surprise her."

Terence returned to the housing district of the dust keepers, seeking out Zarina. He wanted to let her know that he needed to spend some quality time with Tinker Bell and couldn't be her teaching assistant for a while.

Viola found Tinker Bell in the first place she looked, Tinker's Nook. The little pixie had confined herself to her tea kettle home. She informed Tinker Bell that Terence wanted to speak with her regarding something of great importance.

Tink wasn't very agreeable to the request, but Viola said it would change their relationship considerably.

"Did he say how it would change?" Tink asked Voila.

"No, only that he wanted it to be a surprise."

Tinker Bell sighed. "Okay, I'll go meet him at the depot."

**~O~**

Terence had explained to Zarina that he needed time to reconcile and reconnect with Tinker Bell. "Once our relationship is repaired, then I can help out in your class again. Probably when she is with her friends or visiting Periwinkle in the Winter Woods."

"You're doing the right thing, Terence," Zarina told him. "She helped me out when I thought no one cared about me. Now she needs to know that you care. That we all care about her."

The boy turned his head briefly scanning the skies looking for Tinker Bell hoping that Viola had found her quickly. As an act of friendly affection Zarina leaned over the give Terence a peck on the cheek. Terence, however, turned at just the wrong moment and her lips met his. The two looked at each other, petrified with surprise and shock. When they stepped away from each other the two laughed at the little accident.

"Well that was unexpected," she said, giggling.

"Yeah, glad Tinker Bell didn't see that," Terence said. "She might get the wrong idea."

Unfortunately, she had and in her disconsolate state of mind assumed that Terence had intended to break up with her and reveal his new relationship with Zarina. It sent the little tinker fairy spiraling deeper into her self-defeating thoughts and she flittered back to her home feeling humiliated and betrayed.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma had retreated to the comfort of a stiff drink at Granny's Diner.

"Another?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, yes!"

The door chime rang, Henry entered and joined Emma at the counter, a smile on his face. He handed his birth mother a walkie-talkie, which he had kept. She looked confused.

"You stood up to Mr. Gold, that was pretty amazing," he told her.

"He did something illegal."

"That's what heroes do." Henry then confided in her that he should never have given up on Operation Cobra.

The door opened again and in walked Regina with Sydney right behind. Emma was certain that both had come for his victory party. Instead Ms. Swan learned that she had been elected sheriff, although by a very narrow margin of victory.

Regina rather unhappily presenting the sheriff's badge to Ms. Swan, telling her that the people of Storybrooke seemed to like the idea of a sheriff who had the courage to stand up to Mr. Gold.

As the two women spoke residents of the town began filling the diner. First Mary Margaret, then Dr. Hopper and Claire with her two girls followed by many others. These were all supporters who were happy not just because their candidate won, but because she had done so with honor and integrity. These were qualities they valued.

"You didn't choose a good friend in Mr. Gold, but he makes for a superlative enemy," Regina said almost as a warming. Then she smiled and added. "Enjoy that."

This left Emma wondering if she had gotten into something deeper than she realized.

* * *

**Whew, covered a great deal of territory in this chapter. Lots of changes going on in Storybrooke. Next chapter should wrap up Episode 8. **

**Thanks for reading. Your feedback is always appreciated.**


	94. Chapter 94

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 8, Chapter 7**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire was hot. She was steaming mad all night long. During the debate Mr. Gold had all but indicated that he was responsible for the fire that damaged Town Hall. Emma Swan had fingered him as the culprit, though Swan had no definitive proof. Claire had lost her job because of him and then, in a desperate bid to keep her home she traded her three most valuable possessions in exchange for one month's payment.

Part of her wanted to find Emma and ask her, as the new sheriff, to right this wrong. Part of her just wanted to find Mr. Gold and strangle his scrawny throat. Mr. Gold, however, was nowhere to be found this night. No doubt he had gone into hiding, particularly now that Ms. Swan was the new law enforcement officer. Someone with the guts to face him down at every turn.

There was, at least, some relief that Sydney wasn't elected. Everyone knew that Mr. Glass was Regina's puppet at the _The Daily Mirror_. She used him to get her way. For some reason Mayor Mills was now singling Claire out, bullying her through the papers. (The news article the next morning covered both the debate and the end result of the vote. Yet, despite what everyone learned about Mr. Gold's arson attempt the paper still said that the preliminary findings suspected incompetence from the contractor may have been a factor.)

Sheriff Swan's victory party lasted well into the night. Claire insisted that Tina only drink tea or water. Vidia, though, got her first taste of brown liquor. It was not to her liking. Pixie Hollow's rose hips wine was far tastier in her opinion. At some point that evening a boy approached her, introduced himself as Henry and asked, "Are you a real, live fairy?"

"As opposed to a fake, dead one?" Vidia replied in her usual snarky tone. She had expected that Henry was just another person out to embarrass her or Clarion. Particularly when he said his mother was the mayor.

"You're just being you," Henry answered. It was quite the mature answer from the young boy. "I would like for you to read something."

The ten year old handed her a large book with a leather binding and embossed lettering. _Once Upon a Time_. The O, U and T were larger than the other letters and stood out.

"What is this?" she asked him.

"It's a book of stories," he told her. "Fairy tales, but different."

"Yeah, I don't read fairy tales, kid. I'm all grown up."

"But you're a fairy, how can you not believe in fairy tales?"

He had her there, but she was still not convinced. "Why should I care?"

"Because Tinker Bell is in this book," he said eagerly. "It has her story."

"I know her story, I was there."

"No, the rest of her story," Henry told her. "My mom is the evil queen. She is the reason why you and everyone else is here in Storybrooke."

Now that _was_ interesting. Vidia, though, was still defensive. Would Regina send her own son to play a trick on her?

Henry, though, could read Vidia's apprehension, not that it was hard to do. "Okay, look. The mayor isn't my real mom. She adopted me. Emma is my real mom. And that book will explain why you're in Storybrooke."

The fast flyer gave it some thought. "Okay. I'll read it," she said though trying to sound disinterested.

"Great, call Emma when you're done." With that he walked off leaving Vidia with the strange book in hand.

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

In the early morning light Hordor was escorting out Baelfire, conscripting him into the Duke's army to fight in The Ogre Wars. With the boy in hand, Hordor wore a smug smile, "Everyone is watching from behind the drapes today."

Suddenly, one of his men was felled by a man with a dagger who struck from behind. Hordor instantly recognized him and knelt. "Dark One." But as the man approached the guard realized it wasn't the Duke's black mage.

"Now what did you call me? Spindleshanks? I remember, Hobblefoot." Hordor recognized him. Rumpelstiltskin the coward. Only now Rumpelstiltskin possessed the Dark One's dagger and his name was engraved upon it. He noticed something else, too. Blood on the blade.

"What do you want of me?" Hordor asked, afraid for his life.

Rumpelstiltskin put his foot forward and, echoing Hordor's own words, said, "Kiss… My… Boot."

When the captain of the guards knelt down to do so, Rumpel grabbed him the head and twisted it snapping his neck instantly. The other three remaining guards reached for their weapons. Enhanced by the dark magic at his command Rumpelstiltskin impaled each one with his dagger in less than two seconds. Only the third could unsheathe his sword, but could not put it to use before his demise.

"Papa?" Baelfire was frightened. That his father now possessed the power of The Dark One was in and of itself disturbing. What truly frightened the boy was that his father seemed to be enjoying this power. Enjoying it too much.

"I'm afraid, Papa."

"Don't be, son. I'm not afraid of anything," Rumpelstiltskin told his son, a cruel smile creeping across his face.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma reported to work the next morning. Hanging from the coat rack was Graham's winter coat. The same one Mr. Gold had offered her a few days ago. It meant only one thing, the pawn broker was in the building. Sheriff Swan wanted nothing more to do with him.

That's when he dropped a bomb. "Now isn't that something, political theater in an actual theater."

Emma was in stunned disbelief. Had he truly manipulated everything? "I had to give you a higher form of bravery," he told her. Saving Regina's arse wasn't enough. People had to see you stand up to me."

The people of Storybrooke were afraid of Regina, but they were absolutely terrified of Mr. Gold. When Emma asked why, he responded that she owed him a favor and now that she was Sheriff, Emma was in a far better position for when he came to collect.

Gold was about to leave when Emma asked one more question, "Why me?"

"Because, dearie, I know how to recognize a desperate soul."

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Early Edwardian Period)

Flying over Pixie Hollow for the last time Tinker Bell looked down and saw all the places that had been important to her. Tinker's Nook, the fall/winter border where she first encountered Periwinkle via glowing wings and even the platform where she and Terence had unveiled the Fall Scepter. In the mouse stables she could see her friend, Cheese; he was playing with his best mouse friend Cheddar.

"Goodbye, Cheese. Goodbye, Clank. Goodbye, Bobble. Goodbye all of you. I'll miss you so much," she said with tears streaming down her cheeks. With a view of the Winter Woods she choked a bit as she spoke. "Goodbye, Periwinkle. I'll miss you more than anyone. And goodbye to you, too, Terence. I hope you and Zarina are happy together."

**~O~**

In the early 1800's during the westward expansion of the fledgling United States, frontiersman like Daniel Boone pushed their way into Appalachia and the territories of the Louisiana Purchase. These men were restless souls who fought Indians, captured animals for their pelts, mapped the new territories and slowly helped bring civilization to the previously untamed wilderness. Their exploits often made them legends in their own time and for many generations afterwards.

Yet for all their celebrity they were deeply troubled men. Once a place was made safe for more civilized people, Boone and others like him tried to settle down, but found they could not. Their desire for constant adventure never allowed them to by happy as farmers or family men. Only when they were fighting Indians, trapping animals or mapping new lands were they ever truly satisfied with their lives. They simply could not live in the new habitats they helped to create. Sedentary living in a civilized society was the antithesis of their adventure seeking personalities.

In a manner of speaking this is what had happened to Tinker Bell. When she had first arrived, Pixie Hollow lived in what could be called a pre-industrial state highlighted by artisans, craftsmanship and very little division of labor. The harvesting and production of seeds, nuts, pigments and the distribution of pixie dust was always a slow and labor intensive process. Once Tinker Bell accepted her status as a tinker fairy she began to remake Pixie Hollow, designing and building new facilities and devices that greatly increased production through the use of lost things, gears, pulleys and other works. After several years Tinker Bell brought Pixie Hollow into what could be termed an early industrial age, a mixture of artisanship &amp; craftsmanship existing alongside the means of mass production.

Tink's exceptional talent meant that her works were so well designed that they only needed repairs and maintenance to last. Everything she built was to fill a glaring need, but once those needs were met there was little else for her to do except make pots and pans. When she tried to interfere with actual production the artisans and craftsman rejected her designs. A rejection she took very personally.

Deep down Tinker Bell was a restless spirit that needed constant challenges, intellectual stimulation and adventure in order to thrive. Eventually she found that with little else to invent or to fix she began to feel increasingly useless and unneeded. Like those frontiersmen, Tinker Bell had created a habitat where she could no longer live a satisfying life. She had tinkered herself into obsolescence, into a life without meaning or purpose.

Tinker Bell's growing frustration began to spill over into her personal relationships, causing occasional havoc with friends who noted her growing disconnect along with her bouts of despondency. Terence put all his time and effort into his new position leaving Tinker Bell to feel abandoned and alone when she needed him most. The tragic vision of he and Zarina kissing was what finally pushed Tinker Bell over the edge. She had very little left to live for in Pixie Hollow. (Eventually, though, she concluded that she still would have left Pixie Hollow even if her relationship with Terence had not ended badly.)

Upon seeing Terence and Zarina together Tinker Bell returned to the comfort of her teakettle home where she cried. Humiliated and embarrassed Tinker Bell made a monumental decision. Hastily she threw together her most personal items including her hammer and some clothes. Then on a piece of leaf paper she wrote a brief goodbye note. She concluded with, "Please tell my sister that I'm sorry. I will miss her the most and I hope that one day we can see each other once again."

No mention was made of Terence. When her friends found the note, she was long gone. Terence took it very personal. If only he had went directly to her rather than send Viola. If only he had given their relationship the time it deserved. If only he had not been so blind. Terence spent months searching for her with one of Tink's closest friends always at his side. Every corner of Never Land and the nearby islands was searched, everywhere except one place: Hangman's Tree.

Underneath this gnarly looking stump lived the boy who wouldn't to grow up, Peter Pan. He and his lost boys resided deep within Never Land with the tree as their entrance. Inside a small hole in the wall Tinker Bell made her new home. From this modest place Peter, Tink and the lost boys had their grand adventures.

Tinker Bell never felt so alive.

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"I want my jersey's back," Claire demanded.

"Then you will owe me one month's payment, payable immediately," Mr. Gold answered her.

"I owe you nothing until the end of the month," she spat in return. "You set that fire in Town Hall, you cost me my contract. You knew that when I came to you and took advantage of it."

The bell above the door jingled, Sheriff Emma Swan entered. Claire had requested her presence at the pawn shop. Emma said to wait for her, but Claire was too angry to sit in the car until the police cruiser drove up.

"Tell this thief I want my collectible jersey's back," Mrs. Kensington demanded of the new sheriff. She explained her line of reasoning. Then she added something more. "He also owes me the balance due on the city contract I lost."

"Now listen hear, dearie, I owe you nothing," Gold hissed. "You on the other hand owe me quite a bit. And as I recall you came to me and willingly accepted my offer."

"That was before I knew you were responsible for burning up my job!" Claire screamed.

"Our transaction is legal and binding, isn't it, Sheriff Swan?" the pawn broker asked Emma.

Emma Swan knew he had taken advantage of the situation, but Mr. Gold was correct. Claire came to him and accepted the transaction willingly. Plus, as Mr. Gold then pointed out, there wasn't enough to tie the fire to him. Any arrest or indictment against him would never make it to court. Insufficient evidence.

"I'm sorry, but he is right," Emma apologized to Mrs. Kensington. The sheriff's shoulders slumped with a sense of helplessness. Claire could not believe her ears. Last night she stood up to this bastard, now she was backing down.

"Maybe you aren't the sheriff we thought you were," Claire said, clearly disappointed.

"Even if I wanted to give them back, which I wouldn't, those trinkets have already been sold," Gold said.

Claire became unhinged. She charged the man and tried to climb the desk to claw out his eyes. "Why you son of a-.!"

"NO!" Emma pulled back the irate woman and told her quite frankly that if she assaulted Mr. Gold, Claire would end up in jail.

"Let me go," she groused. "If you can't keep him from taking advantage of others what good are you?" Claire stormed out of the shop slamming the door behind her.

"I hope she doesn't break my little bell," Gold said with a smirk.

"Don't get too comfy with our little arrangement," Emma said. "If I find enough evidence to link you and that fire I'll throw you behind bars and you'll owe Claire everything she's demanding."

"Good luck," was all Gold would say in return.

**~O~**

Claire Kensington stopped at a red light. She started pounding on the steering wheel angrily. Halfway through her tirade Mayor Mills contacted her. It seemed that the city leader wanted to speak with her in her office.

Ascending the stairs to the second floor offices, Claire was only able to look on in despair at the charred remains of the walls where she had been working just earlier that week. "Oh, hello. Please do come in," Regina greeted in the hallway.

Claire stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Albert Spencer sitting in the Mayor's Office. "What is he doing here?"

Spencer handed her a brown envelope. "It's a check," he told her. "The fire was indeed arson we just learned. According to the town charter that entitles you to the remaining balance of the contract."

Claire opened the envelope, excited that she would at least get paid. However, the check was for a much smaller amount than expected. "Wait, this is only for five thousand dollars. Where is the rest?"

"Oh, you don't get paid for labor or other expenses," Regina told her.

"But I need more than this. Christmas is coming up, I have debts to pay. I was counting on that money."

"Are you confessing to fraud, Mrs. Kensington?" Regina asked.

"No. No of course, not." Claire knew she was getting shafted. The deductions listed on the accompanying spreadsheet showed materials at full retail. Labor was itemized at union rates for painters, electricians, carpenters, drywall hangers and general labor at the maximum hours the city contract allowed. These were exorbitant salaries, especially for the electricians and carpenters as both were listed as the more expensive Master, not Journeyman.

This was far from what she would ever pay Paul, Ben and Valerie. The city was holding back at least another thirty five hundred dollars. Possibly more as the labor deductions were for ten persons, not the three she had on her payroll. If anyone was committing fraud it was Regina, though Claire would be hard pressed to prove it since it was within the rules of the city charter and the contract she signed.

"It's very simple, Mrs. Kensington," Albert told her. "You can either take what we offer you, or sign this document consenting to refuse payment."

"Well, I'll sign that right now," Claire told him. "And I'll see you in court."

"You should also know that by refusing payment you also give up the right to file any future lawsuits against the city," Spencer added just a half second before she put pen to paper. "Instead you'll be subject to binding arbitration. And I'm the arbitrator."

"In other words I'm stuck. You keep all that you want and I'm left with the breadcrumbs," she reiterated. "You people are bloodsuckers. I'd have better luck with the IRS."

"Sign here to show you accepted payment," Regina demanded with a smug grin.

Two city workers knocked at the door to the mayor's office. "Where do you want these?" one of them asked.

"Right here on this wall," Regina told them. The two men walked in a big crate containing three large picture frames. "I've been thinking of adding a splash of color to my décor. What do you think, Claire?"

The mayor's office was a stark affair dominated by clinical whites offset with deep blacks and a few greys. It gave the office an intimidating feel. The only color in the room was a bowl of deep red apples on the coffee table.

The three men removed each frame, which were covered with padded blankets to keep them safe during transport. When the blankets were removed it revealed three green basketball jerseys with the names McHale, Parish and Bird.

"My Boston Celtics jerseys," Claire gasped.

"No, _my_ Boston Celtics jerseys," Regina stated. "I bought them this morning from Mr. Gold. I decided to start showing support for our nearest professional basketball team."

"When have you ever shown any kind of interest in sports?" Claire fumed.

"I know plenty about basketball," Regina said rattling of a few easy to remember stats. Claire, though, saw right through it. Particularly when Mayor Mills said that Bill Russell earned all of his rings as a player when in fact the last two were as a player / coach. She also noted that Russell was also the first African American to coach an NBA team.

"Well, good for him," Regina said tossing it off with disinterest. "We've come a long way since then."

"That doesn't diminish the achievement," Claire answered.

"You know, I'll never understand why some people think a little ink on some cheap fabric is so meaningful," Regina told Claire, wanting to change the subject.

"That is not cheap fabric," Claire said, trying to throttle back her fury. "These are game worn jerseys. And not just for any game, but the sixth game of the 1986 NBA Finals when they beat the Houston Rockets and won the championship. That Celtics team is considered one of the greatest in NBA history."

"Oh well, thank for that bit of information," Regina smiled. "I can appreciate them all the more."

"Those are mine," Claire seethed.

"These are my property," Regina bellowed in response. "I paid for them. And as I understand it you parted ways with them of your own accord. Now leave my office before I have you removed."

Claire charged out of the office, ran down the stairs and out the front door. She stood in front of the announcement board that was directly in front of Town Hall. On one side were a few remaining campaign posters for Sydney Glass. The instant Claire spotted them she ripped them off the wall and shredded them, screaming and cursing loudly as she could.

The mayor watched from a window on the second floor savoring her small victory.

* * *

**This concludes Episode 8. However, some of the story arcs begun in this episode will continue in the next few chapters. Stay tuned.  
**


	95. Chapter 95

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 1**

* * *

_Events depicted occur before, during and after episode nine of season 1 titled: "True North"_

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Hey, Lydia," Stan greeted cheerfully as he walked into her video store. Stanley, who was one of the mail carriers, was followed by his chums, co-workers and roommates Beauregard (nicknamed Bo), Stewart (known as "Stu") and Clarence. "So now that this trial thing is over, can we resume our practice sessions?"

The four young men had formed a garage band while in high school. They were never very good, but at least they were loud. This was why they had engaged the services of Lydia Van Buren. Though a former lawyer she had decided to pursue her first love, the theater. The store was now her primary source of income. That and helping this group of teenaged boys how to play music, as opposed to "that awful noise."

"Did you four continue to practice on your own while I was in court?" she asked them.

"Yup, every day," Stewart replied.

"I mean with your instruments, not Guitar Hero," she added snidely.

"Uh…"

"That's what I thought."

"We practiced," Clarence told her. "I made sure of it."

"Very good. We can resume tonight."

"Great because we need to be in top form for the Christmas Festival," Bo said excitedly.

"Oh, goodie, so now the entire city can hear you desecrate all those time honored Christmas carols," she said. "I'm sure no one will ever forget that."

"Exactly," Bo answered. "What does _desecrate_ mean?"

"I don't think you four are allowed to play at any Christmas function, ever" she answered. "It says so in _The Bible_."

"What? Where?"

"Thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in vain."

"Oh hah-hah, very funny," Bo replied, clearly not amused. To get even with her he asked the one question he knew would tick her off. "So, you got any _good_ movies in this joint?"

Lydia sighed with exasperation. "We have nothing but good movies."

"Then why don't you have _Flash Gordon_?"

She quirked a disbelieving eyebrow at Bo. "You can find that in the cheese aisle at the local supermarket."

"OH! She got you good, Bo," Stewart commented. "Give it up, man. In this battle of wits you are clearly outmatched."

"Why do you hate that movie so much?" Bo asked her.

"For the same reason I dislike you, it is vile, repugnant and has no class."

Stu and Stan just about fell over laughing. Clarence face palmed.

"Class? That movie has plenty of class," he informed her.

"Don't make me want to vomit."

"Really? So I guess Max Von Sydow has no class?"

"Please don't remind me that an actor of his caliber is in that film."

"Or what about Topol? Y'know, from _Fiddler On The Roof_? Or how about Timothy Dalton? That guy oozes class. He was a James Bond, y'know?"

"Please take him away," Lydia begged the other three boys.

"But you're my hot movie babe," Bo said lustily. Bo had a crush on Lydia which she did not reciprocate, nor appreciate. "No matter how many times you send me away I'll always come back to you."

"Beauregard, stop," Clarence told him. "You're going to make her uncomfortable."

"TOO LATE!" Lydia announced.

"Lydia, can we get started?" Clarence asked. "This trial put us well behind schedule and we need to make up for lost time."

"Of course. Bailey?" she called out to one of her employees. "Bailey, can you watch the store for me. I'm going to assist these, uh, gentlemen with their music."

"Need a police escort?" Bailey replied snidely, looking at Bo.

"Nah, I can handle the little one," Lydia said, which sent Stan and Stu into fits of laughter. "Now let's get this over with before I lose my sanity."

**~O~**

* * *

THE WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Period)

A new laugh clinging to a dandelion seed drifted into the Winter Woods. A winter fast flyer carefully guided it to its soft landing spot at the arrival platform, a flow of pixie dust just inches away. Snowflake the Minister of Winter greeted the new fairy that appeared, a slender specimen with white hair.

"Hello," came the voice of several winter fairies, who were joyful to see another arrival.

A snowy owl descended from the clouds and landed next to the pixie dust falls where the platform was located. Milori, the Lord of Winter, dismounted the owl and approached the young thing. "Welcome to the Winter Woods. I hope you found your way alright," he said in his strong, but caring voice.

"I think I ran into a tree," she said. The other fairies gasped. "But I'm here now."

Milori smiled. "And we're glad you are." The older, white haired ruler of the Winter Woods nodded. "Minister, if you please."

Snowflake came forward, "Here, little one, let me help you with your wings." With a simple touch they suddenly glistened with magic and quickly the new pixie took flight. The new arrival marveled at this ability.

Using fairy magic, Lord Milori made several mushrooms appear arranged in a circle. Fairies placed an icon of their unique guilds upon each one.

"This will help you find your talent," Lord Milori said.

The new fairy went first to a chunk of ice, which fell and shattered. The fairies and sparrow men watching were disappointed to see this. This new arrival wouldn't be a glacier talent.

Next she came upon some animal hair, but it blew away. Then there was the pine needle sprig, but it went dark and dropped to the floor. The new girl seemed almost distraught. Then she came upon a snowflake, but it disintegrated. Finally, a ball of frost. When she reached for it, it glowed. In fact it glowed more brightly than it had for any other winter fairy in any guild, ever before.

"Wow! Did you see that?" A fast talking fairy chirped.

"Yeah, her talent glow was brighter than anyone I've ever seen," a dark haired fairy replied. "We could have fun with that."

"Spike, she's one of us. We can't do that."

"Speak for yourself, Gliss."

"Makes you wonder," said a dark haired sparrow man.

"Wonder what, Sled?" Spike asked him.

"If the warm fairies ever received a fairy with that kind of talent level?"

"Why should they share in our fun?" Spike answered.

"She's totally rad," a blonde sparrow man with droopy looking eyes commented. "Can we keep her?"

"Oh, Slush," Gliss said with a laugh.

Before flying off on his trusty owl, Milori announced, "Frost Fairies, come forward and greet the newest member of your talent guild, Periwinkle."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The next morning, Henry was in the Darkstar Pharmacy reading a comic book when he was approached by a young blonde girl about his age. She struck up a conversation before introducing him to her brother, who was just a bit younger than she was. Henry liked them and hoped they would be new friends.

When the three left, however, Mr. Clark the owner of the pharmacy stopped them. "Stealing, are you?"

Mr. Clark removed several items from Henry's backpack. The mayor's son instantly deduced that the girl was distracting him so the brother could place those stolen items in Henry's backpack. If anyone got caught, it wouldn't be them.

Mr. Clark, who sneezed constantly from his allergies, called up Henry's mother and the sheriff. Regina, when she arrived, refused to believe that Henry could shoplift. He was raised better than that. She fingered the boy and girl instead. Sheriff Swan asked why the brother and sister, whose names were Ava and Nicholas, would steal.

Ava confessed that their parents were out of work. The phone number given to Mr. Clark to call their home didn't work because bills could not be paid. The items they took were mostly necessities like toothpaste and food. "You were just trying to help out, weren't you?"

Emma took the pair home and dropped them off at their house. Sheriff Swan wanted to meet the siblings' family, but they asked her not to. It would be too embarrassing. She understood and let them go with a warning not to do it again.

When the vehicle was out of sight, Ava and Nicholas ran behind the home to an abandoned house where they lived inside the cellar. The put the few items they had tried to steal on shelves, just seconds before Emma caught them. "Why did you lie to me?"

It turned out they were orphans, living alone.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

A man and his two children, a boy and girl named Hansel and Gretel, were chopping wood for the winter. Gretel, the older of the two siblings, was eager to help. Their father asked them to gather kindling. Then he handed her a compass. "This will help you find your way home," he told them.

When they had completed their task, the two children made their way back to where their father had been cutting trees, however, he was nowhere to be found. They heard a sound and ran towards it. What they ran into instead was the Queen's carriage, Gretel fell over out of fright. In the process, the crystal on the compass broke.

Queen Regina was angry that these two little whelps where in her way and insisted they be taken. Gretel fought back using a sling shot while Hansel ran for cover. Neither could escape the queen's dark magic, though. The queen wrapped them in vines she commanded.

"You're brave and you have spirit," Regina told them. She came to learn that their father was suddenly missing and took them to her castle in what appeared on the surface to be an act of compassion. She made a deal with them. She would help find their father if they collected something from The Blind Witch, an old adversary of the queen's.

No adult could enter the house as a spell had been cast upon it, but a child could easily enter. There was one condition. The house was made of unique materials. Candy, cookies and gingerbread among other things. The children were not to eat any of the candy or pastries set out by The Blind Witch, not even a lick, or else she would capture them.

Gretel, desperate for her father, agreed to the task.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Penny was visiting the Kensington household again, helping Tina with her studies. It was so nice to see Tina find such a friend, Claire mused while cooking dinner. Tina had always been rather special. Her I.Q. was well above average and she had a mind for the mechanical.

Though she made many friends at school and in the neighborhood, none could be classified as close or best friends. Tina's love of tools and all things mechanical was quite the deviation from what some considered the norm for a young girl. Oh she played with dolls and such, but a claw hammer was just as welcome as a Barbie, maybe even more so.

This made Tina the butt of many jokes at school from a few of the more heartless girls. One in particular used foul language to insinuate that Tina was really a boy. It sent Claire's little one running home, bawling her eyes out. For weeks afterwards Tina tried to be as girly girl as she could. Eventually the mother had a sit down talk with her.

She explained that mean girls like that are intolerant of people with special talents like Tina's. "Don't let others make you afraid of who you are," Claire explained years ago. "If you like fixing things then be the very best at it."

"But why does she hate me so much?" little Tina asked.

"Because, dear, she's jealous. You're good at something that she isn't." This helped immensely and soon the little girl was back to normal, following her father around helping him fix things.

Penny was different from all of Tina's other acquaintances. She shared Tina's love of math and engineering. And although Tina wasn't the genius that Penny was, her intelligence was high enough to understand much of what Penny was telling her. Only one other person had come so close to being a best friend and that was Clarence. But even he could never quite achieve the kind of synchronicity that Tina and Penny seemed to share. If Claire didn't know better, she would almost swear that they were sisters.

"See, determining an isosceles triangle isn't so hard," Penny told her. "If two sides are congruent then the two angles directly opposite those sides are also congruent."

"Okay, and congruent means…?"

"They are the same."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, that's not so hard after all," Tina said with a smile. "Okay, now what about the Pythagorean Theorem?"

"Oh, that's simple: _a_ squared plus _b _squared is equal to_ c_ squared."

"In English."

"The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the remaining sides."

"In non-math English."

"Since you need a hypotenuse, and a hypotenuse can only exist when a right triangle is involved…"

"Then you can only have right triangles."

"Exactly," Penny said excitedly.

"So you take the hypotenuse which is the length of the side opposite the right angle, that's called _c_, and square it. Then take the lengths of the two remaining sides, _a_ and _b_, and square each one and then add them together. The square of the hypotenuse, _c_, should be equal to the square of the other two sides, _a_ and_ b_."

"Oh, so that's what you meant by _a_ squared plus_ b_ squared is equal to _c_ squared."

"Yup, that's it all right."

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," Tina replied.

Listening to the two chat it up helped Claire take some of the sting away from losing her rare and valuable jerseys. Not to mention her city contract. It did not, however, take away the disheartening feeling she felt from not being able to find another long term job. Claire had spent most of the day looking for any kind of work.

All could find was helping Granny install a new freezer in the diner. She was paid partly in cash and the rest in a frozen lasagna. On the condition Claire never told anyone that her lasagnas were frozen. It wound up being tonight's dinner. Claire also made a green salad while she talked Vidia through opening a can of frozen biscuits to bake in the oven alongside the dinner.

"Okay, now pull off the wrapping and then tap it against the table side. Be careful because it will pop open so keep a grip on it," Claire told the raven haired girl.

Vidia did as instructed, but when she tapped the tube against the table it popped open, made a loud noise and surprised her. She let go of the tin and it fell. The biscuit dough rolled out onto the floor picking up dirt, dust and hair.

"Dammit, why can't you listen?" Claire said harshly. "I said keep a grip on it."

"That was loud, I wasn't expecting that," Vidia answered.

"I told you to expect it. Forgot it. Just go away. Go to your room until I finish dinner."

Claire picked up the dropped can of biscuit dough and tried to clean them off, but the dirt had embedded itself deeply and she was forced to throw the entire can away. "Great, wasted money."

**~O~**

Vidia fumed all the way to her room. It was a simple mistake, she couldn't understand why Claire was being so mean about that little blue can of bread. She sat down on her bed with a huff. She felt something hard underneath her. She remembered the book Henry gave her. The one he claimed would answer her questions about how everyone came to Storybrooke. She opened its cover and began reading the first story.

* * *

**Yes, folks, a Timothy Dalton sighting. **


	96. Chapter 96

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 2**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Five dollars. It was all she had earned today and that was for rescuing a kitten from a tree. Claire was feeling the pinch. The money paid to her by the city to settle the contract was already half gone. She had to pay the water, electric and gas bills along with insurance premiums, cell phone and cable bills and of course the credit cards. Plus there was city property taxes, federal income taxes, Christmas gifts, a tree, lights and ornaments. Her girls would be expecting that as they had every year.

During the spring Claire had taken to packing lunch to save money. Now she was reduced to nibbling on a slice of bread and washing it down with some coffee. To save on gasoline she parked the truck along the curb and began cold calling former customers. When they offered nothing she went through the phone book randomly calling around for work. Still no luck.

Claire revisited an idea she had right after Charlie's death, shutting down the business and taking a regular job. At least it would be steady income. Her first thought was the cannery. They were always hiring, but the jobs available were third shift. It meant sleeping during the day and working at night. She couldn't do that to her girls except as a last resort.

There was the diner or Bed and Breakfast. Granny might need extra help, but could she subsist on what a waitress made? What about washing sheets and pillow cases all day long? No, it wouldn't be enough. Even if she didn't owe money to Mr. Gold and other creditors it wasn't enough to fund a household of three.

She was deep in thought when Regina tapped on the driver door window. Claire rolled it down to greet the mayor. "Hello, Claire," Regina said with a smirk. "I'm quite taken by your little t-shirts."

The mayor was referring to the three game worn basketball jerseys of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. All three were signed and authenticated. Claire had to give them up to pay off Mr. Gold one more month. However, Regina bought them almost immediately and used to make Claire suffer.

"I'm so glad," Claire replied trying to sound as if it didn't bother her that Regina had possession of those valuable jerseys. When Mr. Gold agreed to buy them he withheld that he was responsible for the very fire that brought an end to Claire's city contract thus forcing her into selling the framed jerseys.

Regina didn't like that this woman wasn't squirming under the pressure. So she turned it up. "I like sports as much as the next woman, but the city needs the money more than I need some sweaty basketball uniforms. So I'm going to put them on eBay and use the money to help repair Town Hall."

Claire tried to keep smiling, but underneath her heart was breaking. As long as those jerseys were in Storybrooke, Claire had a chance of recovering them. Once sold "into the wild" they would be beyond her reach forever. "That's..., that's a good idea. But why not ask for Mr. Gold to pay for the damages. He did set the fire after all."

"I'll deal with Mr. Gold in my own way," Regina answered. "Good afternoon."

Claire rolled up her window and dropped her sunshade. She didn't want people to see her crying.

**~O~**

* * *

THE WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND (Late Victorian Period)

"Don't worry, Periwinkle," Fairy Nina told her. "You're doing fine."

Periwinkle had been practicing in the Frost Forest with the other Frost Talent fairies. She had made quick friends with Gliss and Spike who were helping her learn the craft. Fairy Nina, the Frost Guild overseer, had been watching her progress. She was coming along fine, creating white blankets over grass, leaves and branches. What she could not do was create simple shapes with her frost in the same way that others in her guild could.

"But I'm not as good as the others," Peri answered. "Maybe my talent glow was wrong. Maybe I'm not a great frost talent."

"Now don't say that," Nina told her. "It takes time to learn a talent. Just be patient and stop trying so hard. It will come in its own good time. I have faith in you."

"Thanks," she smiled. Inside, though, Peri had little faith in her own abilities.

To distract herself from her feelings of insecurity she visited the Keeper of All Fairy Knowledge. Dewey, to his friends, which was just about anyone who visited.

"Hi, Dewey," she bubbled. "I'm here to read new books."

"Oh ho ho ho. Why, I haven't had time to finish the last one," he said with a laugh. Dewey was tickled that someone appreciated his work so. Periwinkle visited more than anyone else in the Winter Woods, even the Lord of Winter himself.

"That's okay. Do you have that book on the Pixie Dust Tree?"

"It's in the same place it was yesterday."

Peri swirled in the air with delight before rushing off to re-re-reread the book Dewey had written about the magical, faraway tree that supplied both the warm and cold regions of Pixie Hollow with the much needed dust. Peri so wanted to visit, but she was disaffected of the idea when he told that her wings would break.

"You see," Dewey said, "a warm fairy's wings needs warm weather to remain light and fluttery. In the cold of the Winter Woods they would freeze solid and break. It's just the opposite for a winter fairy. Cold air is needed for a winter fairy's wings to stay light and fluttery. In warm weather they would wilt from the heat and then become so fragile that they can tear or even break."

"So, there is no way to visit?"

"No, dear, I'm sorry."

"Are you sure that our wings will break if we cross over?" she asked him, searching for even the tiniest sliver of hope.

"Oh yes," Dewey answered, looking rather downcast. "It's happened before. So the Lord Milori and the Queen Clarion agreed never to allow anyone to cross ever again. They won't even let us gather at the border to talk to each other. No contact is allowed."

"Maybe if I could talk to Lord Milori, convince him to speak with Queen Clarion, I'm sure they could-."

"Oh no. I've talked to the Lord of Winter over and over again till I was blue in the face," Dewey, realizing he had just walked right into a pun, chuckled. "Heh, heh. Blue in the face. Now where was I? Oh yes. Lord Milori. I'm sorry, child, he won't change his mind. He is as intractable as the ice in our ponds."

Periwinkle's wings drooped when she heard that news. She would be forced to adore the mysterious warm seasons only from his books. Despairingly, Periwinkle flipped halfheartedly through his book of the Pixie Dust Tree. She carefully traced the lines made by the branches with her finger, silently wishing she had been born a warm weather fairy.

When she reached the end of the book, Peri put it back and grabbed another. She opened the pages and found something else that captured her imagination. "Dewey, what is this?"

He looked at the page and smiled. "Oh that? That's a butterfly."

"Butterfly?"

"Mmh, hmm. These delicate creatures live in the Summer Gardens," he said. "They come in all different colors, too."

"They're so..., so beautiful." Periwinkle was absolutely captivated by the image of the butterfly in Dewey's book. She flipped the page and found another butterfly. This creature had different colors just as he said. The arrangement of pigments was different from the other one, too. Then she flipped another page and saw a third butterfly with different shaped wings. And then a fourth and another and another. She grabbed the book, held it to her chest and spun around in the air. "These are the most incredible things I've ever seen."

"Oh you like them?"

"They are amazing. I wish we had them here in the Winter Woods."

Dewey laughed a bit. "Take it."

"Oh, I couldn't. You need it for your library."

"I can always write another one," he told her. "Now you take it with you and enjoy."

"Thank you, Dewey!" she said, hugging him tightly in gratitude.

**~O~**

That evening Periwinkle retired to her apartment nestled in a mountainside that overlooked the Frost Forest. These apartments were where her guild lived. Peri's room was high up and gave her a great view of the three warm seasons of Pixie Hollow. She clutched the book tightly as she looked winsomely at the distant Pixie Dust Tree which glowed day and night. She could see the lush greenery of Springtime Square; the riot of bright colors from the Summer Gardens and the lovely reds, golds and browns found in the Autumn Forest.

She wondered if it would have been better had she been given an apartment closer to the ground so she wouldn't constantly be teased by the view of the one place she could not go. It seemed like torture to sleep and wake to this magnificent vista, always beyond her reach. Periwinkle sighed. She decided that seeing it was better than not seeing it because for some reason it had cast a strange spell on her. As if it were calling her, though she could not understand exactly why.

The little frost fairy climbed into her bed and flipped through the book of butterflies. Going from the first page to the very last. She rolled over and kicked her feet into the air, squealing like a giddy little girl. Then she opened the book and flipped through the pages one more time.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Children streamed from the room just seconds after the bell rang. Ms. Blanchard's class had let out for the day. She was gathering her books to go home when a familiar figure stood in the door.

"Claire, how are you?" she greeted the middle aged woman. "I think Tina is a little old for a parent teacher conference."

The other woman laughed. "Oh no, though I appreciate how well you kept Charlie and I informed of her progress. If it wasn't for you we would never have known she needed an honor's class for math."

"It's what I do. Now I'm sure you aren't here to visit about old times."

"No. In fact…, I hate to, uh..., to come to you about this, but you're the only person here I trust. Work has been hard to find lately and I've got bills to pay. I'm thinking of just giving up the business and finding a regular job."

"Wow, I had no idea. Well what can I do?"

"Do you know if the school is hiring? Preferably for a music teacher. Or..., or at least where I can find out."

Mary Margaret's shoulders slumped a bit. "Oh no, I'm sorry. The school isn't hiring for anything other than a custodian. Have you tried the middle or high school?"

"I was heading to the middle school next if there were no options here," Claire admitted.

"Do you have a teaching certificate?" Ms. Blanchard asked.

"No, do I need one?"

"Oh yes, you'll need to enroll at Storybrooke Community College for the classes to earn your certificate. Without it no school will hire you."

Claire sat down, despairing even more. "I can't afford that."

Mary Margaret sat down next to the woman and put a caring hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I've been following what's been happening in the paper. I don't know what to say."

Claire offered a weak smile, "Thank you. I had to try."

"It's not much, but are you still looking for jobs?"

"Anything I can get."

"I've been meaning to replace the toilet in my house. It's old and has started leaking. Can you come by this weekend?"

"Sure."

"And I'll put the word out to the other teachers, too. Maybe they'll have something for you."

"Oh, thank you. I don't want to put you out."

"No, not at all. Tina was the one of the best students I ever had. She was a joy. And I always appreciate a parent who is so involved in their child's studies."

"Thank you, Ms. Blanchard. You don't know what this means."

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Night. Hansel and Gretel approached the gingerbread house of The Blind Witch after dark so they could sneak while she was asleep. Gretel prepared to enter through a window, but had to stop Hansel from taking a lick of the tasty looking confections that dotted the outer wall.

"No," she whispered to him. "Remember, don't eat anything. Not even a lick."

The girl and boy stole into the house where they found the witch asleep in a rocking chair. The interior was filled with treats of every kind from candy to pastries. Even the walls looked delicious. On one wall was a large oven which kept the house warm. Gretel spied the small leather pouch the queen had told them to look for. It was hanging from a nail on the far wall.

Quietly Gretel stepped over to it, careful not to wake the sleeping witch. She lifted the bag from its perch and turned just in time to see Hansel take a massive bite out of a cupcake. "No," she whispered loudly, trying to stop him, but it was too late.

Instantly, The Blind Witch's eyes opened. She whiffed the air. "I smell dinner."

The boy and girl ran for the door, but it locked itself before they could reach it. Then all of the windows shut and locked. Despite lacking site, The Blind Witch took hold of both Hansel and Gretel by the arms and pulled them into a cage where she would keep them until she was ready.

Gretel looked over at the oven. Lying at the base was a huge pile of human bones. The remains of children who were unlucky enough to have come across this place. They were to be cooked alive and then eaten. They would never see their father again.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

When Mary Margaret come home she found two children, a boy and girl, sitting at the breakfast bar noshing on sweets. Emma had taken them in. She explained that they were orphans looking for their father. Her plan was to keep them there until she could find him.

The mayor, Regina, had already made arrangements for them to enter into the foster care system in Boston. A foster system which Emma vividly remembered being absolutely terrible and dehumanizing. Unfortunately, no home had more than one empty bed. This meant they were to be separated.

The kids overheard the conversation. "You aren't going to let them separate us?"

"No, kid, I promise," Emma said. "I'll find your father. You aren't going anywhere."

**~O~**

Emma met with Henry at Granny's shortly afterwards. She told him about the two kids she had taken onto custody earlier and that they were looking for their father. This caused Henry to ask about his father. Emma explained that he was a fireman in training who frequented the diner where she was working. They hung out together for a while before she wound up in jail where she learned she was expecting. After Emma served her term in prison she sought out the man and found out he died saving a family from a fire. "He was a real hero."

As they talked Henry wished she had kept something of his. This gave Emma an idea.

"I'm sorry, Henry, I have to go. I think I know how to find those kids missing dad."

* * *

**This story has now reached 20,000 plus views. That is astounding. Thanks to everyone who has helped make this story such a success.**


	97. Chapter 97

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 3**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It was Henry's idea. From her closet Emma removed a small box. Emma Swan had never put down roots. In her youth she moved from one foster home to another. Once on her own at eighteen she was arrested for possessing stolen property and spent time in jail. She eventually moved to Boston before coming to Storybrooke. Because of this Emma made had no sentimental attachments to places or things, with only a few exceptions. Among the items she did keep included a thick and warm baby blanket. It was hand crocheted with her name embroidered into it.

This she never let out of her possession because it kept her grounded. Though she resented that her parents gave her up and placed her into the awful foster care system, this baby blanket meant that they did care about her once. It gave her hope that she could one day find them. It was also her only connection to them.

She asked Ava and Nicholas if they had any such object. Something that might belong to their father which she could use to find him. They presented her with a compass. The glass that covered the needle was cracked. "Will we get it back?" they asked.

"Yes," she promised. Emma could sympathize.

**~O~**

Sheriff Swan's first visit was to Mr. Gold's pawn shop. She was not happy to be in this place. Not after what she had learned about the election. How he had manipulated her and the people of Storybrooke all so that Emma could be in a better position to fulfill his future request.

But Emma needed to be here. She showed him with the compass. Most modern compasses were mass produced, this was made by a skilled craftsman. The glass cover was actually crystal. It was also very old and quite rare, precisely what Mr. Gold dealt in.

As it turned out, he did indeed remember this compass being in his shop. He pulled the records showing who purchased it, but before revealing that information he wanted something in return. "Forgiveness," he asked.

"How about tolerance?" Emma countered. She was in no mood to forgive him. Not just yet. Perhaps never.

"It's a start," he said. The buyer of this rare and fine compass was a Mr. Michael Tillman. He gave her the address, though the note card from which he was reading was actually blank.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Hansel and Gretel had devised a plan. When The Blind Witch took Hansel to the oven, he was to toss Gretel the key to the cage where they locked up. Gretel would then free herself and Hansel, grab the small bag for the queen and escape. Their plan was working until Gretel made a noise tipping off the witch that the girl was free. Though unable to see, The Blind Witch's other senses were heightened. Her sense of smell and especially hearing were much more acute than a normal person's.

As the two children tried to escape and scurry around she heard them move. "Gravy or butter?" she asked them.

She took Gretel by the arm while Hansel tried to grab a walking stick as a weapon. She heard him and using magic flung the walking stick away from his grasp. Again she asked. "Gravy or butter? How shall I baste you?"

When neither child replied she answered for them. "Butter it is."

The Blind Witch opened the door to the tall oven, but Hansel got the idea to push her into the enormous pan where she cooked her child victims. Both Hansel and Gretel together shoved the pan into the oven and shut the door. They grabbed the small bag the queen wanted and fled the house.

"Let me out!" The Blind Witch screamed through the grates, no doubt in the same fearful way her young victims did as they cooked slowly. "Let me out!"

Regina the evil queen was watching through her magic mirror. It allowed her to peer inside via a mirror in The Blind Witch's home. Regina smiled when she saw her adversary so helpless. She flung a fireball through the mirrors which erupted inside the oven. The Blind Witch screamed as the flames seared her flesh.

"I would have gone gravy," Regina answered flippantly.

**~O~**

* * *

WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Era)

Periwinkle was in the Keeper's library reading more books. This time she was studying what little he had on the mainland. This winter season would be her first visit to that mysterious world of the humans.

"Why don't you have more books about the human world, Dewey?"

He chuckled at her question. "Because I'm the keeper of fairy knowledge, not human knowledge."

This struck her as being so plain and obvious that she was tickled by its simplicity.

"Oh, Periwinkle, I have a gift for you," the Keeper announced.

"For me?"

"Yes, for your first trip to the mainland." He presented her with a hanging mobile. She eyed it with an expression of awe followed by sheer joy.

"Butterflies!" The mobile was littered with butterfly shapes. They were not as detailed as those found in the book she read every night, but they were just as ethereal. Dewey had to explain the basic shape and concept to the winter tinkers who had never seen one before. In the end what they created was more suggestive than descriptive. Shapes that looked like two triangles joined at the point by a slender body. Or two ovoid shapes connected in the same way. Yet despite these shortcomings Peri was completely smitten by this gift.

"Heh, heh. Yes. Just for you," he said. "I thought it would make for a nice decoration in your home."

"Oh yes, yes, yes. I'll put it right over my bed. It will be the last thing I see at night and the first I see in the morning."

Dewey blushed a bit.

"Peri? Periwinkle are you in here?" Fairy Nina called.

"Oh yes, I'm right here."

"Let's go. We're going to leave for the mainland any minute now."

"Coming."

"Go ahead, dear," Dewey told her. "I'll have this delivered to your home while you're away."

**~O~**

Periwinkle joined her guild at the staging area. It was also the landing site for the snowy owls whenever the winter fairies received their yearly order of woven baskets. Having never seen them before, Periwinkle was instantly captivated. She circled one and then another taking in the fullness of their design and construction.

"Who makes these?" she asked her friend and guild mate Spike. "I've never seen anything so bright green."

"Tinker fairies in the warm seasons," the brunette answered. "They make them for us every season."

"How do they know to make them for us?"

"We requisition the baskets from the warm fairies," a quiet but authoritative voice answered. Lord Milori had joined the group, checking on the winter fairies before they began their trek to the mainland.

"But I thought contact was not allowed?" Periwinkle asked.

"Only communications of an official nature is permissible," Milori replied. His eyes looked over the young frost fairy. "You are the one who is interested in the warm side. Periwinkle, is it?"

"Yes," she replied. Peri shrunk just a bit, standing in the presence of the winter regent. "It's such a wonderful looking place."

"Indeed it is. Tell me, Periwinkle," Milori asked trying to change the subject, "are you excited to make your first visit to the mainland?"

"Oh, I am. Very excited. I've read every book in the library in preparation."

"You have? Commendable. I wish more of my charges were as inquisitive."

She smiled. Then asked another question, one that no one else dared to ask. Or perhaps they just never thought to ask. "Lord Milori, I was wondering…, I mean. We travel to the mainland to bring the winter season. It's warmer there just like it is in the warm side of Pixie Hollow. So why can't we go to the other seasons like we do the mainland?"

Spike face palmed. Gliss squeaked in horror. Fairy Nina gasped. Milori just smiled and answered concisely. "When we visit the mainland, we bring with us the cold temperatures of winter. Our wings will not suffer harm as we go. This cannot be done in the warm regions of Pixie Hollow. The seasons here must always remain in balance. That is why we can never visit the warm areas as we do the human world."

Periwinkle looked deflated as if her single greatest wish had just been taken from her. She peered over at the wonderful world of the warm fairies, a place she would never be able to visit. "Have you ever asked yourself what is over there?" she said. "Wondered what incredible sights you might find? The people you could meet?"

"Always," Milori replied rather quietly. "Always."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia was very worried about her queen. As the human Claire, Clarion had become increasingly agitated towards her and also in general. She asked Dr. Hopper why this was so during a session.

"Your mother is grieving," he told her.

"Grieving? Why?"

"She believes that Valerie is gone," Archie told her. "What she is experiencing is anger, one of the five stages of grief."

Dr. Hopper explained the five stages: Denial and Isolation, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and finally Acceptance. Not every person experiences all five, but clearly Valerie's mother was dealing with anger.

"Don't take it personally," he said. "She needs to work through this. When she finally comes to accept how her life has changed she will also come to accept you, as well."

**~O~**

Tina was supposed to be visiting Penny this afternoon, instead she was waiting for Blake to pick her up for another clandestine date. She found sneaking around invigorating. Lately all Tina wanted was to come out from under her mother's shadow.

Blake took her to a nice, out of the way restaurant that served Mexican food. They sat down for an early dinner. A hostess placed before them a cup of salsa and some fried corn chips.

While looking over the menu, someone walked over to their table. "Blake? Hey, it's been a while."

"Oh, hi, Skip," Blake greeted warmly. "Hey, I can see you're doing something important, but I couldn't wait to tell you. I got my costume ready."

"Costume?" Tina asked.

"Yeah, for our fan club meeting," Skip answered. "We do cosplay once a month."

"What's cosplay?" she asked.

"Oh, we dress up as our favorite pony and act out scenes from the show. I'm Rainbow Dash."

"Huh?"

"What? Blake didn't tell you? Blake is the president of the local _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_ fan club."

Tina's eyes went wide. "You're a Bronie?" she screamed with dismay.

"Yeah, so?"

"That show is for little girls," Tina protested angrily.

"Well, you're a girl," Blake replied.

"You're not. Why is a grown man like you watching that show? Why not _Transformers: Prime_ or _6Teen_ or even _Code Lyoko_. But _My Little Pony_? That's just wrong."

"Oh, come on, Tina. It's just a TV show," Blake said in his own defense. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you watch the show, dress up as one of the characters and act out scenes," she argued back.

"So? Trekkies do it all the time," Blake answered.

"_Star Trek_ is for adults," she bellowed. "_My Little Pony_ isn't."

The manager of the restaurant walked up to their table. "I'm sorry, but you will have to leave."

"That's fine with me," Tina said. "I'm going home."

Blake refused to drive her back to the school or the house so Tina called upon Clarence to take her home. She had never been so embarrassed on a date.

* * *

**If you are wondering, a Bronie is a teenaged or young adult male who is a fan of the television show _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_. Some claim to have found some deep, meaning or life philosophy in the episodes. Bronies do indeed wear costumes and attend conventions regularly. There are even documentaries on Netflix trying to explain this phenomenon.  
**

**Be afraid. Be very afraid.**


	98. Chapter 98

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrook**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 4**

* * *

LONDON, ENGLAND (Late Victorian Period)

"This is… incredible!" Periwinkle said completely overwhelmed by everything she saw. "What's that?" Her first visit to the mainland and she was already a tourist.

"That is a tower clock," Spike told her. "The humans call it Big Ben."

Peri, Spike, Gliss and a few of their friends and guild mates took a nice, leisurely spin around the giant clock. The youngster marveled at its size, design and construction. Spike just rolled her eyes at the new girl and her wide eyed amazement. "Newbies."

From Big Ben the frost fairies flew down to ground and began applying frost to every bare tree, bush and shrub they could find. Their frozen water crystals glistened in the moonlight making the ground and surrounding area twinkle like the stars in the night sky.

The snowflake fairies, meanwhile, dropped their cargo upon the city blanketing the streets and sidewalks in a pristine, white blanket. Slush and his friends flew up to roofs, branches and stairs and any place where they could form long, slender icicles. Then together they froze the puddles, ponds and lakes throughout London and the countryside.

"I wonder what this city looks like in the spring or summer," Periwinkle asked no one in particular.

"I hear it is a lovely place," Snowflake, the Minister of Winter answered her.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't see you there," Peri apologized.

By dawn the winter fairies had nearly completed their annual ritual. Outside the city limits, Sled and his crew deposited many of the animals shipped across the waters. They released snow shoe rabbits, weasels and many more creatures, all in their white winter coats.

Snowflake, who was riding a snowy owl, perched her ride atop a tall roof. She surveyed the work of her winter pixies and was satisfied with the result. "Brilliant, as always," she said. Periwinkle alighted next to her.

"How do you like the city?" the minister asked.

"I love it here," she said. "I can see so many animals not found in the Winter Woods. Sled told me all about horses, pigs, chickens, goats, dogs and cats. But what are these strange, green plants that grow in circles and hang above the city streets?"

"That, my dear, are decorations for a festive holiday the humans celebrate during winter," Snowflake answered. "They call it Christmas. It is an annual event that remembers the birth of a very important human whom many believe to be a deity."

"How interesting. That wasn't in any of Dewey's books."

"No, I suppose it isn't."

Periwinkle peered into windows and saw lovely decorations, lighted candles and more of the green wreaths the minister had told her about. She wanted so desperately to fly down and explore even further, but as the first light peered across the eastern sky humans began to stir and walk about in their heavy coats.

Then Periwinkle asked a very awkward question. She wanted to know why the Minister of Winter was the only winter fairy who could cross the border.

"There is an old legend in Dewey's library," Snowflake told her, "about a great betrayal eons ago during the reign of Queen Titania the Great, the first queen of Pixie Hollow. Some say the betrayal come about from jilted love, while others think it was an act of cold blooded vengeance. No one knows for certain, except that it permanently scarred our world and separated the Winter Woods from the warm seasons forever. According to that legend, the first Minister of Winter was in the warm seasons attending to the queen when the upheaval occurred. Because of this fact she was the only winter fairy spared the change that prevented warm and winter fairies from crossing over. Ever since then every Minister of Winter has had the privilege of full access to all of Pixie Hollow. However, we do not exhort ourselves above the others of the Winter Woods lest it lead to anger and hatred."

"Do you believe in that legend?" Periwinkle asked.

"No. It is only a myth," Snowflake replied. "Strangely, though, it is the only explanation we have."

Periwinkle sighed. Why was she born a frost fairy? Permanently confined to the cold stark world of the Winter Woods and unable to live up to the lofty expectations of her talent glow?

"Let's go, young one," the minister instructed, "we have to find winter camp."

Winter camp was where the winter fairies rested for the day. Visiting the mainland was not a single night endeavor. When the sun rose it would begin to warm the earth and melt their work. When nightfall came the next evening the winter fairies would venture out into the world of humans again to refreeze the ponds and make new icicles. Another layer of frost would be laid down and more snowflakes would be dropped on the city and countryside. This process would continue until winter was firmly established. Then the fairies would return to Pixie Hollow, exhausted but satisfied with a full season's work under their belts.

"Then you and your friends can relax until the end of spring," Snowflake remarked. "There is so much fun to be had sledding, skiing and engaging in snowball fights."

"Do you do those things," Periwinkle asked during their flight to the camp sight.

"Oh no, I'm a minister, I must always present myself with the utmost decorum, but you can have all the fun you want."

"How do ministers relax after a long season?"

"Oh, we have our ways," Snowflake answered with a wry smile.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma Swan had found the man Mr. Gold had told her about: Michael Tillman. She explained about the two children and informed him that they were his flesh and blood.

"That's impossible," Tillman answered her. "I don't have any children." He confided that he had been with the woman who was their mother only once.

"Once is all it takes," Emma reminded him.

Tillman explained that he had a hard enough time managing the garage, he certainly couldn't take care of two children. Emma countered by saying that a few weeks ago a boy she had never met appeared at her door and declared she was his mother. She brought him back and ended up moving to Storybrooke for his sake. She was worried about him and his welfare. Emma then offered to have Michael meet the boy and girl, but declined and went back to working on a car in the garage.

Sheriff Swan now had no choice, if Michael Tillman refused to accept the two children into his home she would have to drive them to Boston where they would be separated. Emma promised it would not happen, but her options were running out.

**~O~**

Tina was waiting at home when Claire arrived. Penny, however, was not at the house. Tina was supposed to be with the little blonde nerd, her new BFF as Tina had begun to call her. Claire had to ask around to find out what BFF meant.

"Where is your best forever friend?" Claire asked.

"That's 'best friend forever'," Tina corrected. "She couldn't make it today."

"Oh, she wasn't feeling well?"

"Uh..., no she was just kind of busy and stuff. Yeah, busy."

Tina's hesitation made Claire a bit suspicious. Those suspicions were fully realized when she checked her phone messages. Martha's Mexican Food called to say Tina had left her knit cap behind. Her name and number had been stitched into it since she was just a little girl. Claire dialed them up to ask them to hold it until she could come and pick it up. When she asked, Claire found out Tina had been asked to leave when she and a young man had gotten into an argument. The description of the young man matched up with Blake, the garbage collector who had taken an interest in her daughter.

She then called up Penny who said Tina called to tell her she couldn't make it today because she was on a date with Blake. That was enough. Claire had very specifically told young Tina not to see that man and she had deliberately gone behind her back. Claire went back down stairs.

"Tina," she began, not sounding angry, "Martha's Mexican Food called, you left your knit cap there."

"Huh?" Tina looked around for it, "I guess I left it there when I met with Clarence."

"Clarence? Are you two together again?"

"Yeah, I figured he's learned his lesson."

"Okay. Oh and could you answer one more question? What's a bronie?"

Tina gasped.

"Oh yes. The manager was kind enough to describe what happened. And Penny said you were out on a date with Blake. I told you not to date that man. He is too old for you!"

"Don't worry, I won't be dating him again," Tina replied. "He's a weirdo."

"I don't care, I gave you instructions not to see him," Claire said with a raised tone of voice. "Now why did you defy me and sneak around behind my back?"

"Because I'm a grown woman," Tina snapped back. "I can make my own decisions and do as I please."

"You are sixteen years old," Claire responded. "You are still a little girl."

"Stop calling me that," Tina yelled. "I am not a girl. I did this to show you I am a grown up."

"Now you listen to me, Little Miss, I am your mother and as long as you live under my roof you will obey my rules," Claire growled. "You are grounded for a month. Now go to your room where you will do nothing except study."

"You can't do that," Tina roared.

"Yes! I! Can!" Claire said with emphasis. "Now go before I take you over my knee."

Tina grabbed up all of her books, tears streaming down her cheeks. As she ran up the stairs she yelled back, "I hate you. You've ruined Christmas."

"One more word out of you and I'll ruin Groundhog's Day, too," Claire snapped. Claire walked to the kitchen, mumbling to herself. "I ruined Christmas? You're the one who disobeyed me. That just proves you are not an adult. And who do you think you are telling me you can do as you please? I'm your mother, I brought you into this world and I can take you out. Don't believe me? Just try it."

**~O~**

Though told to do nothing other than study, the very moment Tina slammed shut the door to her room she grabbed her cell phone and called someone. "Clarence? I want to do it. Tomorrow after school. ... What do you mean do what? Have sex. … Yes I'm sure. I've never been more certain about anything in my life."

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Hansel and Gretel returned safely to the queen's castle, their hard won prize in hand. When Regina received the small, leather satchel she removed an apple from it. Not just any apple, she told them, but a weapon. A weapon for most deserving foe. What she had the two recover from The Blind Witch was a poisoned apple that she intended to use on Snow White to get her revenge.

Satisfied with their work, the queen offered to house the two children in her own castle where they would have all the creature comforts and an army of servants at their disposal. She would be like their mother. They declined.

"We want our father back," Gretel replied.

"Why? I can give you everything," Regina asked.

"Because we're family," Gretel told Regina outright. "Family always finds each other."

Regina was enraged by their answer. "Very well, let's see if you can find your father now." With a whirl of her hand Hansel and Gretel were enveloped in a cloud of magic smoke. Seconds later they were deposited into the forest, lost and alone. All they had was each other and their father's compass as a guide.

**~O~**

* * *

LONDON, ENGLAND (The Late Victorian Period)

The sun had indeed undone all their winter wonders as it had done several days prior. Peri and her friends reapplied frost to trees, shrubs and bushes. Icicles were reformed; ponds, lakes and streams were frozen deeper than before; and the city was doused in another layer of snow.

This was their last day on the mainland before returning to Pixie Hollow. Periwinkle was going to miss this wonderful place and decided to get a closer look. She flew up and around the wreaths and garlands that hung between buildings. There were bells that jingled and inside homes were trees decorated with all manner of shiny objects. In one house people were gathered and engaged in festivities. The adults drank something poured from a large bowl while the children opened boxes wrapped in colorful paper. From these lovingly decorated packages they extracted toys and quickly embraced two older humans, a man and woman.

"Those are the mother and father," Sled told her.

"What are they doing?" Periwinkle asked.

"They're exchanging gifts," the tall, dark haired sparrow man explained. "It's what they do every year on this day."

"Why?"

"It's part of the tradition of their Christmas holiday."

"I wish we could exchange gifts every winter season," Periwinkle said.

"I think you have to be a human," Sled told her. She was strangely fascinated with the world of humans, like no other fairy he knew.

Periwinkle continued to watch while the young humans played with their toys as the mother and father looked on with smiles on their faces. It dawned upon the little frost fairy that the parents derived fulfillment from watching their children play having fun.

After several minutes Periwinkle abandoned the window and moved on to other homes and businesses. While flitting through she noticed something on the ground. Snow did not fall there as it was protected by an awning. She flew down and picked it up. It was a thin strip of metal with long loop set over a shorter one (paperclip). Peri didn't know what it was, but she decided to take it with her.

**~O~**

Spike was given the duty of ensuring all the frost fairies checked in before the contingent of winter fairies returned to Pixie Hollow. Everyone was accounted for except for one. Periwinkle.

"Now where is she?" Spike, accompanied by Gliss, zipped off to their assigned sector and searched for the wayward youngster. They located her on the ground studying something. It was reddish in color, round (sort of) and it could stretch.

"Look at this," Periwinkle said with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Oh oh oh, I know what that is," Gliss babbled. "Oh it's a, it's a red, round, stretching thing."

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" Spike remarked in her usually snippy tone.

"What does it do?" Gliss asked Periwinkle. Peri pulled it one way and then stretched it the other. Then Gliss got the idea to grab one end of the stretching thing while Periwinkle held down the other. Gliss flitted up, pulling it taught.

"Hey, guys, we need to get back to Pixie Hollow," Spike told them, remembering her duty.

"Yeah, Spike..., ungh..., in one..., ngh... second," Gliss replied while pulling as hard as she could. Then the red, stretching thing slipped out from under Periwinkle's feet flipping her over. It zipped past Gliss, hitting Spike square in the gut and knocking her halfway into the street.

"Spike!" Gliss yelled. She flew out to her friend who was gripping her stomach and grimacing. "OOOOWWW! THAT HURTS!"

"Are you okay, Spike," Periwinkle asked, setting down next to her.

"I'll let you know when the pain stops," Spike groused through clenched teeth. Periwinkle recovered the stretchy thing and picked up the other items she had collected. Four of the slim metal loops, two buttons, a coin with the image of a dour looking woman in funeral attire and lastly a long and slender hair pin.

The threesome returned to the waiting group of winter fairies. Spike had to recheck that all of her guild were still there. She then reported in to her guild overseer who in turn reported to the Minister of Winter.

Moments later came the call.

"Away, my winter fairies," Snowflake yelled from atop her snowy owl. "Away and back to Pixie Hollow."

The winter owl launched into the air with hundreds of fairies and white feathered owls following behind.

"Time to go," Spike told her friends. She almost seemed a bit down at the prospect of going home so soon. Periwinkle realized she wasn't the only one who enjoyed this annual trip. The mass of fairies slipped through the air as the first rays of morning light began to peak over the eastern horizon.

Periwinkle, with her arms wrapped around her treasured human items, took one last look at the human city she was leaving behind. She couldn't wait for next winter.

* * *

**Enjoy. Thank you for reading.  
**


	99. Chapter 99

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 5**

* * *

THE WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Period)

Two seasons had passed since the winter fairies' last visit to the mainland. Periwinkle still had problems forming more complex shapes with her frost as her guild mates could. On the other hand, she discovered that many of these human objects washed ashore along the icy banks of the Winter Woods. She dubbed them "found things," because she had found them.

The little fairy put less effort into practicing how to frost and more into figuring out how to make use of these strange human items she was collecting. One afternoon, Peri invited her friends so she could show them a new idea she had.

"See, if you tie these funny metal loops to your feet you can glide over the ice," Periwinkle said.

"We can already do that," Spike announced, sounding a bit annoyed. "We just step out on the ice, use our wings for balance and slide. Any winter fairy can do that. And according to Sled, so can a beagle."

"Not like this," Periwinkle answered back, determined to show her way was both unique and more fun.

Peri, who had been practicing daily, showed some of the more interesting moves she had worked out. These included spinning in one place with her body in a prone position, arms, wings and leg out; launching into the air with a forward spin and landing effortlessly on one foot. Then doing the same, but while skating backwards and with a more difficult back spin. She concluded by spinning on one foot with her body fanned out as before and then pulling in and tightening up. Her rotation increased until, when completely vertical, Periwinkle spun so fast she was like a blur.

She stopped and waited for her friends to react.

"Uh, you want us to get dizzy on the ice?" Spike said, partly joking. "I'll throw up."

"Oh, oh, oh, I know, we fly into the air and land by using our wings to glide, right?" Gliss suggested.

"No. You take off, spin and land without using you wings," Periwinkle answered.

"Without our wings?" Gliss asked sounding confused. "But we can't fly without our wings."

"Wouldn't you fall down a lot?" Spike asked suspiciously.

"At first, but once you practice enough it becomes as easy as applying frost," Peri said.

"I'll give it a try," Gliss said, grabbing two of the paperclips and tying them to her feet. Peri helped her to skate on the ice. Gliss had trouble maintaining her balance even as Periwinkle assisted her. Gliss kept using her wings to stay upright, but Peri encouraged her to take a chance.

Gliss fell flat on her bum. Spike just shook her head in disbelief. Gliss, though, was not discouraged. It took most of the afternoon, but soon she was able to stay upright without using her wings. It wasn't pretty and she wobbled a lot, but she did it.

"How did you figure this out?" Spike asked Periwinkle.

"I don't know. One day I just suddenly had this image in my head of these things on my feet while skating across the ice," Periwinkle answered. "I thought it was silly at first, but it just made sense the more I thought about it."

Gliss, who wobbled up to the shore of the ice chirped in, "Sounds like you're part tinker."

Spike, though, was not amused. "Yeah, sure, and I'm the Minister of Winter."

"So, do you want to try them?" Peri asked Spike.

The brunette thought it over for a second and answered, "Yeah, sure."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Regina learned that Sheriff's Swan's attempts to reunite the children with their father had not gone well. She reminded her city employee that as sheriff it was Swan's responsibility to take the boy and girl to Boston tonight. Emma tried to buy more time, but Regina was going to make sure it happened. Deep down Regina knew who these children were and was determined to keep them from being a happy family. They had turned her down in the Enchanted Forest and now they would separate them forever, both from each other and their father.

Swan was unhappy with how things were turning out, something she confided with her roommate Mary Margaret Blanchard. When Mary Margaret asked what she told Henry about his father, Emma told her what she told the boy.

"You told him the truth?"

"No, Henry's father wasn't a hero, but I don't want him to know that," Emma replied. "Henry needs to keep believing in heroes so I made it all up."

It was getting late and Emma realized she could no longer hide the truth from Ava and Nicholas. She apologized for not being able to follow through on her promise and returned the compass to the girl.

The pair looked defeated. Emma most certainly was.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Regina had summoned her prisoner. Hansel and Gretel's father, the woodcutter. She had a question for him, why had the children turned down her offer of a life of luxury.

"Because," he told her, "we're family and family always finds each other."

Frustrated by this answer she sent him away to see if family members really could find each other.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

That night Regina met with Sheriff Swan who pleaded her case one last time. The mayor didn't care to listen. Ava and Nicholas were in the back seat of the police cruiser, what few possessions they owned they had in a couple of bags.

Sheriff Swan got behind the wheel of the police car and started the engine. Henry went up to talk to her. "They can't leave Storybrooke," he reminded her. "Something bad will happen."

"Something bad has already happened, kid" she responded.

The Ford Crown Vic police cruiser left the city proper behind and crossed the old toll bridge. The green road sign marking the city limits was in sight when suddenly the engine stalled. Emma tried to restart it, but it simply would not turn over. Emma couldn't believe her back luck? Or was it good luck? She called up the garage and requested a tow truck.

A few minutes later, the truck arrived. The driver was Michael Tillman the mechanic she had spoken with yesterday. When he saw the vehicle he hesitated. Sheriff Swan walked out to greet him.

As he approached, the needle in the compass that the children held suddenly began spinning around before it stopped, pointing towards the driver. The two turned to look out the window to see this man.

"Is that them?" Mr. Tillman asked Emma Swan. She nodded. Tillman stuck his head into the car window that Ava lowered. He saw them and his heart just knew, these were his children and he couldn't turn them away.

**~O~**

* * *

THE WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Period)

"C'mon, Dewey, you can do this," Periwinkle prompted.

The Keeper laughed and smiled as he was carefully pulled across the ice by Periwinkle, the little fairy who spent so much time in his library that she knew where almost every book was located. "Now why didn't I think of this?"

"You need to get out more," Spike told him.

Gliss skated past moving like a blur, her legs crossing over while she navigated the edges of the frozen lake. "This is fantastic," she squealed. "I've never moved so fast without flying."

Sled had joined the growing cadre of winter fairies who enjoyed Periwinkle's skating. "I can't believe we've been missing out on this," he told Peri. "It's a whole different experience from sliding with our wings."

"Yeah! Isn't it great?"

"I'll say. Now I just need a lovely lady to share this with," he said with a smile. Sled managed to get the attention of a pretty animal fairy who gladly skated with him, hand in hand.

"Oh, now that's interesting," Spike remarked. "They're skating together."

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, this has unleashed everyone's creativity," The Keeper said. "It's a new day in The Winter Woods, thanks to you, Periwinkle. I'll be writing about you in my books, you wait and see." The Keeper then pinched her cheek for emphasis.

A warble came from above. The shadow of a Snowy Owl circled the lake before the creature set down beside the frozen waters. Everyone stopped skating and looked on with concern. Lord Milori dismounted and approached Peri and her friends. "What goes on here?"

"Uh, well, I figured out how to use these metal loops to skate around the ice without the aid of our wings," Periwinkle told him apprehensively.

"Yes, I can see that," Milori answered. "But why are none of you at work? We have a tight schedule to keep. Winter is due in only a four weeks, we cannot fall behind."

"Oh, they're just having a little fun, that's all," The Keeper told Lord Milori.

"I know that, but we cannot be late with winter. Not this year or any year."

"Lord Milori, why are you always so dour? What do you have against us having a little fun?" Periwinkle burst out suddenly. The others around her nearly gasped at her willingness to defy the regent of the Winter Woods.

"You can have all the time to relax you want _after_ you return from the mainland," he replied. "At the moment each of us has our assigned duties. I expect all of you to return to them immediately."

The Keeper fluttered up to Milori and spoke privately with him. "Lord Milori, a word with you, please?"

"What is it, Keeper?"

"There is no harm in having a bit of fun," Dewey said, pleading his case.

"I have nothing against fun," Milori replied. "However, responsibilities come first. When we forget that disaster strikes."

"You mean like when you broke a wing and closed off the border?"

"Watch your tongue, Keeper. You speak too much."

"Periwinkle is correct, Lord Milori. You are too dour. Your winter fairies have suffered greatly because of the border law, no need to add to their misery."

Milori sighed. "Very well." The Lord of Winter turned to the fairies at the lake-shore who were busily removing their skates. "You may continue, everyone. But I expect each of you back at work early tomorrow."

As Lord Milori flew up in the air, the winter fairies cheered their good fortune and enjoyed the rest of the day, skating about the ice.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma returned home before her night shift started. Mary Margaret was relieved to learn that Mr. Tillman took in his two children. One look and he knew they were his. Emma kept her two promises to find their father and keep them together.

Mary Margaret asked about Emma's search for her own parents. Emma disliked that they made it so hard to find them. Of course, Henry had his own theory.

"Oh, who does he think your parents are?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Well, for one, you," Emma said with a laugh.

"Snow White has a kid," Mary Margaret said with a touch of good natured humor. "Well you do have my chin."

"Yeah, that book you gave him, not exactly fairy tales in the most traditional sense," Emma remarked. "Speaking of which, I have to go."

When the sheriff left for her duty shift, Mary Margaret put away the box containing Emma's personal effects. "What a lovely blanket," she said admiring Emma's soft and fluffy baby blanket. There was, for a moment, a reaction of some sort. Possibly recognition, perhaps déjà vu. Mary Margaret quickly put it out of her mind.

**~O~**

Claire sat in her kitchen not sure what was happening to her family. Tina was getting downright defiant, Valerie was no longer Valerie. Jobs were few and far between and she was weeks from losing her house. Claire felt as if she were losing control and nothing she was doing was making any difference. The Kensington family was a sinking ship and it was going down fast.

She contacted Dr. Hopper who agreed to an evening session.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Nervous, anxious, unable to cope," Claire described to him her feelings. "It's like I'm unravelling right before your eyes. I can't even sleep well at nights. It's like I forget to breath."

"The loss of control can be a very intimidating sensation," he advised. "But notice that we are rarely ever in control of our surroundings. Only in how we react to them."

"Well, I'm not reacting well because I can't find work and if that doesn't change soon we'll all be out on the streets."

"I think you're much stronger than you give yourself credit for," he told her. "You've been through worse."

"Easy for you to say, you're a doctor. You get paid good money."

"Have you tried other avenues besides working as a contractor?" he asked her.

"Yes, but the only job opening I could find is working the night shift at the cannery. How can I care for my two girls if I'm working nights and sleeping days?" she replied.

"I think it's time you gave you children the occasion to show they are capable," he told her. Claire immediately responded with what Tina did behind her back and how Valerie still isn't Valerie.

"She's gone, my eldest girl is gone and I can't handle that," she said.

"Valerie isn't gone," Hopper told her. "I consulted with Dr. Whale and what I can tell you is this. Valerie Kensington is still in there somewhere."

"But in the court Dr. Whale said…"

"Not in the strictest sense," he responded. "You see when Valerie's mind collapsed it reformed itself into a life it preferred. It's still her, but with a different name and history."

"I don't know if I can. She doesn't even remember me or herself," Claire answered.

"Your previous life with Valerie has always been a contentious one," Archie Hopper began, "and I'm sure you would want nothing more than to have a fresh start with Valerie. Now is your opportunity. You can be the mother you wanted to be in the first place."

Claire was a bit apprehensive.

"I know it isn't the most ideal situation," he said, "but it is a second chance. Not many people get one like this. You should take advantage of it."

"I don't know, Dr. Hopper," Claire answered still uncertain. "I wanted a mulligan with the Valerie I knew."

"You can still get to know her, because deep down inside she is still there waiting for you. Waiting for her mother to show her the love she's always wanted."

They spoke further about Valerie and then Tina. Hopper suggested it was about time Claire started treating Tina more like an adult than a child, though in small steps. "She wants more freedom, but she has to learn that this freedom comes with responsibility. You should give her a little at a time, but emphasize the responsibility she will have along with it. I think she will eventually come to appreciate you all the more for it."

At the end of their session Claire thanked Dr. Hopper for his advice. He ended their talk by saying her problems sleeping were from stressed induced sleep apnea. "When you learn to stop fighting change and embrace it your stress will diminish. The sleep apnea should disappear. Consult with your physician if it does not."

"Thank you, Dr. Hopper."

Claire wanted to go home, but instead she wound up driving around town trying to make sense of what Dr. Hopper meant about taking a second chance with Valerie. In the end she wound up in the last place anyone would think to look.

"Funny, I never thought I would see you here outside of Christmas," Mother Superior remarked to Claire who was sitting in a pew staring at the altar. "Something must be terribly wrong."

Claire chuckled. "Oh, it is."

"Well, I'm willing to listen if you want to talk," Mother Superior replied sitting down next to her.

Claire sighed before beginning. She explained what had been happening at home, what happened with Valerie since the accident and court hearing and how Claire had been treating her since coming home.

"I don't know what to do with her," Claire admitted painfully. "Dr. Hopper says she is still in there somewhere and that I should see this as a second chance, but I don't know if there really are such things as second chances."

"Look up there," Mother Superior said pointing to the crucifix that adorned the wall over the altar. "You see that? That is the symbol of second chances. No matter what has come before, no matter how badly you think you've behaved, we are always reminded that we can change for the better and try again."

"But how? No one ever explains how to do that?"

"Love one another as you would be loved," Mother Superior answered. "It's as simple as that. Show you daughter the love she needs, completely unconditional, and all will be well."

"Is that it? Is that all it takes?" Claire asked.

"Well, the whole recipe is faith, hope and love, but that's all you need," Mother Superior replied. "Quite a simple recipe when you think about it."

"Faith, hope and love?"

"Yes, and the greatest of them is love," Mother Superior added.

"Funny, that's sort of what Dr. Hopper said, too."

"Smart man."

The two laughed. Claire then thanked Mother Superior for her advice before leaving, dropping a couple of one dollar bills into the Poor Box on the way out.

**~O~**

Henry Mills brought Emma some pumpkin pie to celebrate Ana and Nicholas being reunited with their father. They stood by the police cruiser as they ate and talked. It was a cold night in Storybrooke as winter was setting in. Emma was bundled up as was Henry. Their breath was visible as they talked.

The night was quiet and still with only the street lights to keep them company.

The serene silence was suddenly shattered by the roar of a motorcycle engine. A tall and handsome man with stubble on his chin stopped before them. He was dressed in blue jeans and a dark leather jacket. A mysterious wooden box was strapped to the back of his motorcycle.

The stranger asked if there was a place he could sleep tonight. Emma Swan gave him directions to Granny's Bed and Breakfast just down the street. He thanked them and rode off.

Emma looked to Henry and said, "I thought you said no one comes or goes from Storybrooke?"

"They don't," he replied as they stared at the fading red glow of the stranger's taillight.

"So who is that?" Emma asked herself.

* * *

**I hope you are enjoying this story. Your feedback is always appreciated. Thank you for reading.**

**Author's Note: Spike's seemingly random comment that a Beagle can slide around on the ice is a reference to Snoopy.**


	100. Chapter 100

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 6**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The tall and handsome stranger drove into the parking lot of Granny's Bed and Breakfast. He parked his motorcycle and unhitched the mysterious wooden box he carried about. Inside he shamelessly flirted with the proprietress, Granny, when asking for a room. When given the option he took a room that faced the town square. He climbed upstairs and looked out his bedroom window at the clock tower while rubbing his leg. This was why he was in Storybrooke.

Now he just had to wait for the right moment.

**~O~**

On Saturday, Claire gathered up her tools and Vidia and drove to Mary Margaret's home. They were going there to install a new toilet as the current one was leaking from a crack in the porcelain. Ms. Blanchard had already purchased a new commode and only needed Mrs. Kensington to remove the old one and install the new one.

When Claire arrived she noticed another vehicle parked in front of Mary Margaret's home. It was a service truck for Winters' Heating, Hartley Winters' business. As she and Vidia went up the walkway she noticed Hartley, wrapped in a coat, working alongside Ned to service the outdoor unit. When he bent over to observe the inner workings of the machine Claire got an eyeful of his backside.

"Hartley's got a cute butt, doesn't he?" she asked of Vidia.

Vidia wasn't sure what to make of that statement, much less from her queen. "Uh, o-okay. Is that important?"

Claire leaned over to take one more look at his rear end before it disappeared around the corner. "Oh yeah!" Claire admitted ecstatically.

Mary Margaret answered the door to let in the two women.

"Oh, thank you for showing up today," Mary Margaret said. "I was really hoping to get all of this done by the afternoon."

"We'll be quick," Claire answered.

Ms. Blanchard turned her attention to Vidia. "How are you feeling today, Valerie?"

"I'm fine. And it's Vidia."

"Oh, sorry. Of course. Vidia. I read all about what happened. I'm glad you're feeling better."

Mary Margaret then showed them the bathroom, the leaking toilet and the new one she had purchased as its replacement. Quickly the two focused on the work at hand. They shut off the water, emptied the tank and then removed the last of it with a sponge and bucket. With a plunger, the water in the bowl was pushed down the drain. Together with Claire's guidance they removed the screws that held toilet to the floor and carefully removed it, draining away any remaining water into the tub.

When Claire peered down into the sewage drain she thought she saw something. "Hand me the snake," she asked of Vidia.

"Snake? Where?!" Vidia said with a panic, pushing and crawling away from where ever it might be.

Claire just rolled her eyes. "A pipe snake," she said, taking the object from her tool bag and showing it to Vidia. "This is a pipe snake, you big baby."

Vidia felt unhappy with that comment, but didn't want to pop off to her queen, or her mother, or whatever. Claire, though, just smiled and showed her how to use it. Halfway down the pipe snake got stuck and Claire was unable to pull it back out. She and Vidia had to tug together before it finally snapped free. When Claire retrieved it she found what she had seen.

"Huh, another pipe snake. It must have gotten stuck in there and broke loose a long time ago." Claire had Vidia run the pipe snake again to its full extension. This time without a problem. Then the two opened the box and began to install the new toilet.

Vidia found this work far too demeaning and unworthy of a queen like Clarion. Seeing her install the very appliance where people relieved themselves was unsettling. She needed to bring about an end to this horror. Henry's book which he promised would provide answers didn't. It was, as far as she was concerned, just another dead end.

**~O~**

* * *

FAIRY HAVEN, NEVER LAND (The Book-verse)

The portal between realms closed depositing three persons: Jefferson, Rumpelstiltskin and a dead body, one of Regina's black knights, on the island of Never Land. A different Never Land from the one they had just left.

"Are we picking up someone?" Jefferson asked. The hat which Jefferson used to move through realms had certain rules. One of them was that the same number of persons who go through the hat must return. The body meant that someone was to come back through with them.

"That's my business," Rumpel answered. "But yes."

Suddenly the island convulsed. It tried to throw off the visitors, but Rumpelstiltskin would have none of it. "Try all you want, you cannot defeat the power of the Dark One," he told the magical island.

"What's going on?" Jefferson asked.

Rumpelstiltskin explained that this Never Land was an enchanted island with its own heart and soul. It could stretch and contract at will and even move around the world to avoid storms and pick up the laughs of newborn children to make into fairies. "It feels my dark magic and wants to be rid of me, but I'm stronger. Now let's go, we have a task at hand."

**~O~**

"Mother Dove," Queen Ree asked, "What do you mean evil is here?" Queen Clarion, known by everyone as Queen Ree, was the regent of the Never Fairies on this Never Land. She was dressed in her finery but with clear, gossamer wings similar to her charges. She had just arrived at the request of Mother Dove, the magical bird whose egg prevented anyone on the island from aging.

"Never Land senses it," the kindly dove answered. "A powerful and dark magic has arrived from…, somewhere."

"Can't Never Land just kick it into the ocean?" Beck asked.

"No, dear, it cannot. This black magic is far too strong."

"I will send scouts to find the source," Ree answered.

"Do not interfere with it," Mother Dove said. "I fear it is so strong that anyone who does will not survive."

The fairies who had gathered all looked at each other with grim faces.

"I'll go," Vidia said. Vidia was the lone belligerent member of the fairy community. She was known for her nasty temperament and need for solace. Her heart's one true desire was to fly faster and faster. She had accomplished that once when she received a wish from a magic wand. It allowed her to fly as fast as she could imagine with no effort, but found that without the struggle to push herself it had no meaning in her life.

"You?" Ree asked, stunned that she would offer.

"Yes, dear. I'm the fastest fairy in all of Fairy Haven. If anyone can get in and out quickly, it's me."

"Be warned, little one," Mother Dove told her, "this is no ordinary dark magic. The power Never Land senses is unlike any we have encountered."

"Oh, I'll be careful," Vidia replied with a sneer.

Vidia rushed home and took just the tiniest pinch of her special dust. Many years ago, the tree that supplied Pixie Dust to Fairy Haven perished. Never Land, however, provided for the fairies with Mother Dove. Once each year she would molt and the feathers were collected and ground into fairy dust. This dust is the most precious substance throughout the land because they could only harvest it once each year.

The dust that came from the annual molt was strong, but dust ground from freshly plucked feathers was much more potent and Vidia, wanting to fly ever faster, plucked several before someone could stop her. She ground the dust and found it was indeed much more powerful. Knowing she could never obtain more, Vidia rarely used it. Instead, she kept a secret stash of it in her home. This was the dust she took with her. Just enough to fly away if she got into trouble.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

While Claire and Vidia were away, Tina met up with Clarence for their rendezvous. Determined to show she could be an adult she had conspired to have a sexual encounter with him. Her first. She had given up on the idea when Valerie had convinced her she might be doing it for all the wrong reasons. Now she was dead set on doing this.

They had the house to themselves. Together they went to her bedroom where Clarence did his best to make the moment as romantic and memorable as he could. This included a light meal, music, dancing and quoting love poetry he had downloaded off the internet. Finally came the moment and Clarence tried to be as lovingly erotic as he could without being off putting. It didn't work.

"What are you doing?" Tina asked.

"I saw this in one of those books on how to have great sex," Clarence answered her.

"Well don't do that anymore," Tina admonished him. "You're creeping me out." Then she took his notes and flipped through them. "No, no. Don't do any of this."

"I'm just trying to be a good suitor," he told her.

"Clarence, just be yourself. Okay?"

"Okay," he replied with a gentle smile. "I can do that."

**~O~**

"All done," Claire announced. "Just don't use it for a couple of hours so the sealant around the base can set and harden."

"That's great," Mary Margaret replied happily. "Finally, a bathroom without water trickling down the tank." She paid her fee to Claire and included just a bit more in gratitude for taking the old one away. To Claire it felt good to have a little money, even though she knew it was hardly enough to change anything. Just the sensation of working again removed some of her anxiety for a moment.

As they departed, Claire noticed that Hartley Winter was also just finishing his cleaning and tune up of the HVAC system. "Oh, hello, Claire," he greeted with a smile. "Did you have work here, as well?"

"Yes, just a little bit of plumbing," she told him.

"How is your schedule this week?" he asked.

"It's pretty free, why?"

"I've recently begun work on updating two houses, but I need a competent contractor," he said. "Would you be interested?"

"YES!" she blurted out. "I'm sorry. I mean yes. Ever since the fire at Town Hall I've been without steady work."

"Well how would you like to be my preferred contractor?" he asked her. "It won't be steady work, but it can be frequent."

Her eyes widened, Vidia thought Claire might squeal with glee.

"I would like that very much," Claire answered barely containing herself. "When can we begin?"

"Have you had lunch yet?" he asked. "Perhaps we can discuss terms over a meal at Granny's."

"Lead the way," she replied.

**~O~**

Over lunch Claire and Hartley discussed business. After negotiating terms, Hartley then asked Claire another question.

"Could I impress upon you to help out with the Christmas Festival?"

"The what?"

"The Christmas Festival held in the school gymnasium. Well, it seems the head of the festival committee has resigned," he told her. "Poor man had a nervous breakdown. We need someone else who can help us finish the work. I know it's rather short notice."

"I'll say, Christmas is in two and a half weeks. When is the Festival scheduled for?"

He sighed. "The Saturday before Christmas."

"That's not very much time," she answered him.

"I am well aware, but you are the most competent person I know," he said. "Without someone to run the Festival I'm afraid it will come to an end before it ever begins."

Claire sighed. Hartley told her that it was a volunteer position, meaning no money. Something she desperately needed. In exchange though, Hartley offered to buy her lunch every day for a week. Claire eventually agreed. She decided that if she could save the festival it would raise her positive visibility in the town and could lead to more jobs.

"Thank you, my dear," Hartley said, giving her a peck on the cheek. This made Claire blush.

**~O~**

Vidia didn't care to listen much after that. Instead she spotted Henry and excused herself. She spoke with him about the book.

"Here, kid. I've read this from cover to cover and it's a joke," she told him. "None of the stories are like I remember and the last pages are torn out. Oh, and the story of Tinker Bell in here is wrong. Dead wrong. I should know."

"But it's not a joke," Henry told her. "It's real. My mother, the mayor, really is the evil queen. She cast the spell that brought everyone here to Storybrooke. The last pages are torn out to hide the identity of the savior."

"And who is that?"

"Emma. She is the savior who will fight the final battle and break the curse," Henry explained.

"Yeah, sure kid. I don't like jokes at my expense." She put the book on the counter and tried to leave.

"No, you can't go," he pleaded. "You're the first one to escape. You can help my mom defeat my other mom and set everyone free."

"Do you know how weird you sound?" Vidia told him. "Just leave me alone."

"Did you read the entire book?"

"Yes, from cover to cover," she answered. "I felt like a fool."

Henry picked up the book and tried to put it back into her hands again. "Read it again. I know it sounds strange, but you have to believe me."

Vidia had had enough of this boy and shoved the book back into his arms. "Go! Away!"

Just then a page fell from the book and onto the floor. "Oh no, you ruined it," Henry gasped.

"It had pages torn out of it already," Vidia complained. "You ruined it first."

Henry examined the page and noticed something most peculiar about it. The edges are sharp and crisp. If it had been torn one edge would be ragged. If it had fallen out of the binding it would have shown on one side. The book's pages were sewn together, one side would have had the telltale markings of the pinholes made by the needle and thread used. Yet there was none.

Vidia took a look at the page. It had the same style of writing in the same font. She did notice Tinker Bell's name. Then she turned the page over. What she saw stunned her. On the reverse side was a drawing of herself and her friends gathered around Tinker Bell and her sister Periwinkle. They seemed to be posing as if for a painting or photograph.

"Did you put this in there?" she asked him.

"No, I didn't," Henry told her. "You've had the book the entire time."

Vidia continued to stare at the image in the page. "Okay, kid, you've got my full attention."

* * *

**This marks the 100th chapter of this story. Thank you all for making this story such a great success.  
**


	101. Chapter 101

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 7**

* * *

FAIRY HAVEN, NEVER LAND (The Book Verse)

Rumpelstiltskin and Jefferson approached an open field. In the middle of this field was a large stone. Impaled into the stone was a spike which held a long and sturdy gold chain. The chain was attached to a specially made collar which itself was wrapped around the neck of a dragon. A dragon named Kyto.

Long ago, the fairies of Fairy Haven had captured it and placed it inside a cave prison. When it finally escaped, Kyto tried to destroy Fairy Haven and all of Never Land. With the help of Gwendolyn Carlisle, a descendent of Wendy Darling, the current fairies of Fairy Haven recaptured it, though at the cost of several of their own kind.

Kyto lay on the ground, unable to enjoy the gold in his chains or the hoard of treasure that sat next to him. Vidia, the fast flyer, had fallen in love with Kyto because his breath could make her fly faster than ever. She enjoyed it beyond all measure. That is, until she found a natural formation where the winds swept through daily. Now she could achieve far greater speeds than Kyto could ever provide, so she abandoned him.

Never before had Kyto felt so empty of heart. His greatest desire had always been to destroy the Never Fairies and the island of Never Land itself. Now all that changed. Watching Vidia fly with his breath gave him such pleasure of a kind he never knew. He had fallen in love with her just as she had with him. However, while hers was fleeting, his was not. Kyto ached for his purple clad flyer to return. Now instead of an intimidating dragon that belched smoke and fire, he was forlorn and depressed. If he could not have his love, he wanted to be alone in his grief.

That is when the two strangers approached him.

"Leave me or I will crisp you," the dragon halfheartedly threatened.

"Oh, not yet," Rumpelstiltskin replied. "You see, I have a deal to offer you."

"I do not make deals," Kyto answered back. "Particularly with wretches like you."

"Oh you'll want to make a deal with me, Dearie, because I can grant you your freedom," Rumpel said.

This piqued the dragon's interest. "What do you want me to do?" Kyto asked.

Rumpelstiltskin presented him with an image of a blue orb. Its surface was artfully designed to resemble the moon. "This is a special stone. There are many in a faraway land. I want you collect them for me. All, except one."

"Why?"

"That is for me to know," Rumpel answered with his giddy laugh. "But do this for me and you can be free to have anything you want."

"I will do this for you," Kyto replied. "On one condition."

"I've already given you my condition," The Dark One responded.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with the one I love most. Vidia," Kyto demanded.

"Is that all? Unrequited love? Well in that case: Done."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina and Clarence were downstairs studying Geometry. The deed had been done. The two looked at each other with odd glances. "I'm sorry for fumbling around with your bra, but those things are hard to undo."

"It's okay. The first time can be a bit jittery," Tina replied. "I'm sorry for screaming so loud into your ear. Are you going to be okay?"

"Don't worry about it," Clarence told her. "I'll just take it as a compliment."

Tina give him a friendly shove with her shoulder and the two laughed.

"That was kind of fun," she said. "Y'know, after we got over the awkward feelings of seeing each other naked."

"It wasn't awkward," Clarence told her. "I thought you looked wonderful."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're pretty beautiful without clothes," he said. Now he felt awkward. "I don't mean you aren't beautiful with clothes, but you're both. Beautiful with and without clothes, I mean."

"I know what you mean," she said with a grin.

"Maybe…, maybe we can do it again sometime," Clarence suggested. "It will go much smoother and it won't be so nerve wracking."

"I'd like that," she told him. "But let's wait. I don't want to spoil the fun by doing it too often."

"Sure," he said. "Whenever you feel ready."

Clarence then reached over and gave her a tenderly affectionate kiss on her forehead. Tina smiled and put her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and they cuddled up together while reading the Geometry textbook.

**~O~**

While exiting Granny's Diner, Hartley Winter and Claire continued to chat as they stood between their respective work vehicles. Claire blushed often as he spoke to her such kind and lovely things as to fill her heart with romance and joy.

Vidia could barely watch.

She disliked eavesdropping on them and stood aside from the two lovebirds. Instead, Vidia's head was consumed with the incredible image she had seen in the restaurant. She had read that book thoroughly and that single page was not there. For it to suddenly appear, with the correct story of Tinker Bell, the Tinker Bell she knew, was magical if not impossible. Yet there it was.

Now she had a focal point. The person responsible for her dilemma, Regina, the mayor of Storybrooke. The very woman who tried to run her and her queen out of town. Suddenly it made sense. If Regina is the evil queen, and this curse keeps each person from remembering their true selves, then someone who has been freed from that curse would be a formidable threat. Regina had to be rid of them. Rid of her.

Vidia, however, would not concede. Several of her questions now had answers. Who and how. And now she had an ally, as well. Two in fact: Henry and Emma. Henry, though, informed her that Emma did not believe in the stories. She thought that fairy tales were just that: stories of fantasy to entertain children. Not the reality of a faraway realm.

"Emma was sent here when she was just a baby," Henry told her while they were in the diner. "She grew up in this world, never realizing who she was or who her parents were. She was raised not to believe. We have to change that."

"How?" Vidia asked the boy.

"Operation Cobra." Henry detailed his cunning plan, to identify every storybook character in town and match them with who they were in the book. Vidia was already doing the same with her own people. Now she had been drafted into "Operation Cobra" and would assist Henry in his quest. Neither Vidia nor Henry could stand against Regina. Only Emma could undo the curse, so it was important that she be made to believe.

Vidia felt inspired. She had a purpose, a villain and an endgame.

* * *

**~O~**

FAIRY HAVEN, NEVER LAND (The Book Verse)

Rumpelstiltskin giggled. He so loved it when a deal was struck. Especially when it was in his favor, which it always was. Rumpelstiltskin produced a parchment with the agreement. All that was needed was Kyto's signature. With that done the Dark One proceeded with his plan. "Now let's free you of this nasty chain, shall we?"

With a flash of The Dark One's wrist Kyto was released from his bonds. Yet what he had not asked, and thus did not bargain for, was that he was changed. Altered from a fearsome dragon into a puny sparrow man.

"What have you done to me?" Kyto roared. "This was not part of our agreement."

"Oh, but I never said it wasn't," Rumpelstiltskin answered. "Do not worry, you will have your love soon enough. And she will find you all the more appealing in this form."

"What about my hoard?" Kyto asked pointing to the pile of treasure near him.

"What about it?"

"I want to take it with me," the dragon blustered.

"Now, now, you'll have more than your share of treasure when you've been reunited with your 'one true love.' But now, on to the distant land."

Jefferson twirled his hat upon the ground. It absorbed the ambient magic and grew. It grew into a portal that temporarily joined two realms. Two dimensions. Two universes which were similar, but different. Parallel worlds.

"Why are we back here?" Jefferson asked. They had returned to the Never Land from which they had recently departed. Rumpelstiltskin then plucked one of the blue stones from the ground and showed it to Kyto.

"This is what you are after. The locals call it a moonstone," he directed the dragon turned fairy. "There are ten here in this realm. Collect nine, leave this one to me. When you are done, you will wait. Your patience will be rewarded and your love shall be near you."

"How shall I fly?" Kyto asked. "These fairies require dust which comes from Mother Dove. How will I be able to acquire it without raising suspicion?"

"Oh, in this Never Land there is no molting bird. A tree provides the dust," Rumpelstiltskin informed him. "Kyto the Dragon never existed here, either, so they will not know who you really are. But if you must choose a new name, may I suggest Mr. Kyle."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE (the past)

It is the year 1983. Ronald Reagan is president. The Soviet Union is viewed as a global threat. The relief found in a recovering economy is tempered by constant threat of nuclear annihilation. The United States is exiting from a long recession, but is still basking in the glow of an improbable win in the 1980 Winter Olympics when the United States Hockey team upset the heavily favored Soviet hockey team and then went on to win the gold medal. Oil prices are falling and the long gasoline lines of the 1970's have disappeared under new policies.

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are the dominant forces in basketball. The Dallas Cowboys, though still strong are slowly fading while the San Francisco Forty-Niners are rising under the leadership of head coach Bill Walsh and quarterback Joe Montana. In baseball pitchers have become the dominant force with such players as Fernando Valenzuela and Nolan Ryan making names for themselves. A work stoppage in 1981, though, left the sport reeling which would eventually allow football to overtake baseball as America's pastime.

Musically, artists such as Prince, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Marvin Gaye, Donna Summer, Billy Joel and Rick Springfield were in top form. Similarly, bands such as Duran Duran, Styx, Hall &amp; Oates, Eurythmics, Culture Club, and Dexy's Midnight Runners were getting heavy rotation on the radio. Some of the best new cars debuting in 1983 were the Pontiac 6000STE, the Toyota Celica Supra and the Ford Mustang GT 5.0. On television _The A-Team_ was picked up for broadcast while perennial favorite _M*A*S*H_ ended its incredible eleven year run with the most watched finale at the time. The mini series _V_ exploded onto television screens while at the movies the eagerly anticipated _Star Wars: Return of the Jedi_ completed George Lucas' space fantasy trilogy in a most satisfying way even as other threequels such as _Jaws 3-D_ and _Superman III_ were panned both by critics and audiences alike.

The town of Storybrooke has recently arrived via the curse. It sits on the coast of Maine nestled among the woods in a remote part of the state. No one knows it is there except the residents of this sleepy town. They drive aging vehicles produced from the 1950's to 1970's. Payphones are on every corner. Cable television is viewed as a luxury and is rather expensive.

Sony's Betamax VCR is losing market share to the now dominant VHS format. Big hair, parachute pants for men and skin tight dance wear with leg warmers for women are the major fashion crazes of the day. Mrs. Kensington is front and center in this trend wearing pink leotards, leg warmers and high heel shoes along with her big hair and glittery lipstick, much to the embarrassment of her youngest, sixteen year old Tina.

While Tina studies her geometry homework, Valerie Kensington has gotten into another fight with her mother, Claire. They are at odds once again over Valerie's desire to fly. Valerie has ridden off on her motorcycle in anger. Desperate for comfort she seeks it in her secret boyfriend, Kyle Lindwurm, a young man who reads _The Wall Street Journal_ daily and keeps track of trends in the marketplace. He is an investor and has done very well for himself.

Valerie comes to him without Claire's knowledge. She loves him and he loves her, though not as much as he loves his bank account. They plan to run away together one day, hoping to start a new life far away from her mother. Though what she plans to do for a living she does not know, only that it should involve flying.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE (the present)

Vidia is waiting for Claire and Hartley to bid their goodbyes when a good looking young man approaches her. He sees her and rushes to her side.

"Valerie, I heard what happened," he tells her. "Are you okay?"

"Who are you?" she asks him. "And my name is Vidia."

"Who am I? I'm Kyle, your boyfriend," he tells her.

She quirks a suspicious eyebrow at him. "Are you nuts? Get away from me. I don't have a boyfriend and it certainly wouldn't be with some pretty boy like you."

Kyle quickly became enraged. "I waited for you," he said. "I waited and packed up my computers and gear. Then you ran off without me. Do you know how much money I lost because of you?"

Kyle was buying and selling stocks when he became distracted by Valerie's injuries. He forgot to unpack his computer gear and missed several trading deadlines. Instead of selling for profit, he wound up selling at a loss. A significant loss that left him with only one eighth of his accumulated savings.

"You owe me!" he yelled at her. "You owe me five hundred thousand dollars, woman!"

"I don't know who you are and I certainly don't owe you anything," Vidia sneered. "Whatever you did is your own fault."

That's when he slapped her. Vidia was about to punch him in the face when Hartley intervened.

"Now see here, young man. That is uncalled for."

"Stay out of this grandpa!" Kyle bellowed angrily.

Hartley grabbed the young man by the scruff of his neck and pulled him up. Kyle was left stumbling on his toes. "You do not strike a woman," Hartley admonished. "Now apologize."

"She owes me!"

"This young woman owes you nothing," Hartley said. "She is absolutely correct when she says that your actions are your own responsibility. Now _apologize_."

"I'm sorry," Kyle finally answered. Hartley released him. Then Kyle added, "I'm sorry I ever trusted a piece of trash like you."

Hartley Winter tried to grab him again, but Kyle Lindwurm responded by taking a swing at the older gentleman. Mr. Winter responded by connecting where Kyle had missed. It wasn't a particularly hard punch, but it was enough to get the point across. Lindwurm picked himself off the ground and ran.

"I'm not finished with you, Valerie," he yelled as he ran back to his car. "I'll get that money from you one way or another. You hear me?"

"I should have given that scoundrel a sound thrashing," Hartley said.

"Don't worry, he's gone," Claire told him. "Thank you again for coming to our rescue."

"It's the least I could do for such a lovely young lady," he replied with a loving smile. Claire blushed once more. He kissed before they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Claire was on cloud nine all the way home. Vidia was now left with another mystery. Who was Kyle Lindwurm?

* * *

**So who is Kyle Lindwurm? Kyto the Dragon from the Book Verse. Lindwurm is a German word meaning "Dragon." (See, I told you there was a clue in his name.)  
**

**Why does Rumpelstiltskin want the Moonstones? Stick around and find out in later chapters.**

**I also hope you liked the brief visit to the 1980's. If anyone out there remembers that decade, it should be a walk down memory lane.**


	102. Chapter 102

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire found that the work Hartley promised was more than sufficient. She had to hire out to Paul and Ben for extra help. At the first house, a separate circuit breaker had to be added right off the city breaker just for the HVAC unit. In the second, a furr down was required in two rooms. This house was built before forced heat and air units. The furr down was essentially a small wall or enclosure to hide the ducts that would otherwise be exposed.

The work Claire and her crew did went beyond minimum code. Mrs. Kensington was a fan of a television show on HGTV called _Holmes Inspection_, in which General Contractor and host Michael Holmes inspected recently purchased houses that were having severe problems despite receiving high marks on their city inspections. These houses had terrible problems which the local inspectors missed or ignored. During the remodeling phase with his crew, he would typically advocate doing more than what minimum code required for the safety of the homeowners and the longevity of the house.

Claire took this advice to heart and put her best effort into both jobs. She was rewarded with pay that bordered on generous. Hartley was so impressed that he immediately contracted her out for another home. A new job that Ned secured when the aging HVAC unit conked out and could no longer supply proper heat. This helped to alleviate some of Claire's short term money problems.

It was enough that one night she gathered up her two girls and went shopping for a Christmas tree. Tina was excited. Vidia, was less so, but went along without incident. "Well? What do you think?" Claire asked while the salesman held up one specimen.

"It looks a little lopsided, Mom," Tina said.

At the next tree Vidia commented that there was a large empty space where no branches had grown. For the third everyone agreed it was too small for their home. Another tree was too narrow, while another was too fat and disproportionate. Claire and her girls made the poor salesman show them several more until they found just the right one. It wasn't too narrow or too fat. It was full all around and it was just the right height for the house.

While the man put the tree through a machine that carefully netted it for the drive home, Vidia walked out of the lot and looked around at the lights and decorations. The mood of the passersby was festive. Across the street, a group of nuns stood by a storefront singing songs while ringing a bell. People dropped money into a bucket the put out. She later learned that the nuns were collecting donations to support their private school.

It was as she was taking in these scene that a hawk landed just a few yards away from her. It was almost as if it could sense who she was. It squawked at Vidia who, upon seeing it, panicked and tried to run away. The raptor unfurled its wings to mammoth lengths and chased Vidia. She ran as fast as she could back into the tree lot looking for cover.

Then it dawned on her. "Hey, I'm not a fairy anymore. I'm bigger than he is." Vidia stopped in her tracks and turned around. She spread out her arms in majestic glory to imitate a raptor spreading its wings. She squawked loudly, going for a predatory fervor. "BRAAWWWK!" she yelled. "I… am not… afraid… of you!"

Now it was Vidia who was doing the chasing. The hawk turned tail and ran, lifting up into the air. Vidia ran after it yelling, "And don't come back!"

After so many years of being chased by the Hawks of Pixie Hollow, it felt SOOO good to turn the tables and be the bully rather than the bullied. Vidia, smug with confidence, strutted back to the truck where the tree was being tied down for the trip home.

"What was that noise?" Claire asked her.

"Just a little well-earned payback," she replied.

"Payback? To whom?" Claire asked with great concern.

"Uh…, the hawk," Vidia said. "It used to scare us in Pixie Hollow. I lost some of my friends to those blasted predators. This time _I_ scared _it_ away."

Claire gave her a funny look before saying, "Okay, dear," with that voice that said "I have no idea what you are talking about, but I'm sure I'll be getting a phone call about it later."

**~O~**

The tall stranger spent his time driving around the city of Storybrooke acclimating himself to the community. He recognized so many faces even though this was his first visit to the city. He parked in front of the clock shop and looked inside at Marco, the older man who worked there. The stranger knew him best. The old man was his father. Yet the stranger could not go inside to talk with him. Not just yet. Soon, perhaps, when he could finally gather the courage to do so.

**~O~**

When not working for Hartley, Claire put time in at the school gymnasium coordinating the Christmas Festival. Her work was entirely voluntary, but she insisted on doing her best and demanding it from the other volunteers. The gym was a flurry of activity as dozens of volunteers stretched out garland, hung mistletoe and placed empty boxes wrapped in decorative foil paper around the large space. Strings of blinking colored lights were strung along all the booths to enhance the holiday atmosphere. Fully decorated artificial trees sat by the wayside along with wire frame reindeer lawn ornaments. They would be set out on the floor the night before the festival.

The basketball hoop on one end of the floor was covered up with a papier-mâché chimney. A laughing Santa Clause figure stuck out of it as if he were preparing to descend the chimney to deliver presents. The other hoop was disguised with a wreath and silver bells as an insert. Bags of artificial snow were delivered and put aside. This would be carefully dropped into corners and around booths to resemble a winter wonderland. Finally, Claire asked Paul and Ben to run electrical extension cords all over the gymnasium floor and cover them up with duct tape for safety purposes. Each booth was also allotted one surge protector with six plugs. The work was cleared by the city inspectors who gave Claire's efforts high marks.

The festival itself consisted of a pageant celebrating the Nativity, followed by Clarence's band playing Christmas carols. Food would be served and booths were provided so local businesses and artisans could peddle their wares. Additional booths were also being erected for games such as Fish Pond, Ring Toss and Search for Gold which would entertain the visitors.

A silent auction was to be held in the adjacent school cafeteria simultaneously with several rounds of Bingo and it all concluded with a drawing where twenty fully cooked Christmas hams were to be given away as well as a grand prize of a fifty inch, High Definition LED television made by Samsung.

Despite all the time away from home Claire still managed to set aside enough to be with her two girls while they trimmed the tree with decorations. Tina settled into a good mood. Vidia was just pleased to not be yelled at even when she made small mistakes.

They were halfway through decorating the tree when the three women had to stop for the night. Tina had school the next morning and Claire needed to meet up with Hartley for her third contract with him. While preparing for bed, Claire remembered what Tina had said a few days earlier when she punished the girl for going behind her back to go on a date with Blake.

"You ruined Christmas," the young girl accused. Claire felt badly, especially in the shadow of Dr. Hopper's advice. She knocked on the bedroom door and spoke with her youngest.

"Tina, I want you to know that I was mad at you the other day for going behind my back to date that young man," she started. "This is my house and I have the authority to set down rules. But I have to come to terms with the fact that you're growing up. You can start to make a few decisions of your own. But remember, everything you do has a responsibility attached to it. That's not my rule, it's a fact of life."

Tina, who had been lying in her bed silently rolling her eyes when Claire began talking, now sat up and listened intently to her mother.

"I'm going to give you a bit more leeway to be an adult," Claire said to her. "You are sixteen, soon to be seventeen, and you need to learn how to be mature. I had no intention of ruining Christmas for you. So why don't we just call it time served and leave it at that?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'd like that," Tina replied.

"And remember, if you get into a bind don't hesitate to come to me," Claire told Tina. "I've been there before. I know it can be hard to imagine it, but I was your age once. I can offer advice and guidance. I'm a mother, it's what we do."

"Okay."

Claire grabbed up her youngest into a motherly hug, "Oh come here, you little muskrat," she said.

"Awe, Mom! You haven't called me that in ages."

"Actually, your dad called you his little muskrat," she said. "I always thought it was kind of weird."

"So why did you call me muskrat?"

"I don't know," Claire answered. "I guess it doesn't seem so weird anymore."

Claire put a matronly kiss on her girl's forehead. The pair then spent more than an hour together talking as Tina asked questions about when Claire was a teenager. It was an evening of mother / daughter bonding that Claire had never done before and she relished the moment. In doing so she learned more about her little girl than she ever had in sixteen years. She gained a new respect for her little one and Tina in turn understood her mother better.

"Goodnight, my darling," Claire said as she turned out the light. Tina was tired and sleepy. Claire had pulled the sheets over her and tucked the girl in for a good night's rest. When the mother checked on her other girl, Vidia was already asleep for the night. She seemed so peaceful, almost as if her Valerie had never left. It brought back so many memories.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Claire whispered to the older girl.

After a moment, Claire went to bed. She never slept better.

* * *

**~O~**

FAIRIE HAVEN, NEVER LAND (The Book Verse)

Vidia watched from a distance as two men spoke with the dragon Kyto. The little fairy was too far away to hear what was said. Moments later she was stunned to see the fearsome creature turned into a sparrow man. A fairy dressed in purple. One of the men, humans but fairy size, spun a hat on the ground. It turned into a whirlwind where all three disappeared.

"Humph, good riddance," the fast flyer sneered. When she returned to the Hawthorne Tree, Vidia reported what she saw.

"Are you certain?" Ree asked. "No power in the universe could steal away Kyto."

"I'm afraid it is true, Your Highness," Mother Dove interjected. "Never Land can sense that the dark magic is gone and Kyto with it."

"Well that's good isn't it?" Rani asked. She was perched upon Brother Dove. Rani, a water fairy, had cut off her beautiful wings to help repair Mother Dove's egg which kept everyone on Never Land from aging. Brother Dove now dutifully acted as her wings, flying her to wherever she needed.

"No, it is not," Mother Dove replied. "Kyto is part of our world. I cannot guess what will happen now that he is gone. Only time will tell."

"Is it bad?" Tinker Bell asked.

"I do not know," Mother Dove replied. "Never Land does not know. Nothing may happen, or something terrible may happen. We can only wait."

This news did not sit well with Queen Ree. "I believe something terrible has already happened." She still remembered that painful day when the dragon was captured the second time. So many of her fairies died in his fiery breath. "Vidia, tell us how these men disappeared with Kyto."

"One of them tossed his hat on the ground. It spun and became a giant swirling vortex. I could have done better."

Queen Ree became even more unsettled. "That was how our visitor arrived, wasn't it? A swirling vortex from the ocean?"

"Yes," Tinker Bell replied. "What was her name again?"

**~O~**

Queen Ree visited the Memorial Garden. It was here that those who lost their lives capturing Kyto were remembered. Names and paintings for each fairy who perished were on display in this serene place. One of these markers stood out from the others. It listed a fairy from another realm.

_It seems that whatever dark magic brought you to us has taken our most fearful enemy,_ Ree thought to herself. _To what end has this happened? If only you were alive to provide us with answers._

Ree stood in front of the marker for this lone fairy. This visitor. Her name, as the plaque read, was Periwinkle.

* * *

**So what happened to Periwinkle in the book verse? Sorry, you'll just have to wait until season 2 to find out.**


	103. Chapter 103

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 9**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The very next evening Claire, Tina and Vidia worked to finish decorating their tree. The last items to be placed on it were three homemade ornaments. When Claire and Charlie were newly married, they could not afford a very large tree or very many decorations. So Charlie suggested they make their own. Their first and only attempt was a ceramic one which they made as a celebration of their love for each other.

When Valerie was four years old she became rather jealous that her parents had their own special ornament, but she didn't. So Claire helped her make one. It had the simple inscription, "I Love Mommy." When Tina came along. Claire made one for her. Tina's had her baby picture set inside.

It became tradition that every Christmas these three handmade ornaments be placed on the tree last. Claire always put hers highest symbolizing the parent's place in a family hierarchy and that their love flowed down to their children.

Valerie went second and Tina was third. Tonight, when Vidia was given her opportunity, she allowed Tina to go first as she studied this unusual trinket. Like so many things in this human house that once belonged to Valerie, it had no meaning to her though it was clearly important to Claire. "Go ahead, sweetheart," Claire said with a gently encouraging voice. "Put it anywhere you like."

Vidia selected a place midway up the tree. The ornament was a bit heavy so she looked for a stout branch to hold it. She was certain the loop had found purchase, but when she let go it slipped off and fell. The crafted decoration broke into several large pieces when it hit the floor.

"No!" Claire was in such shock. "What did you do?" Her hands shook as Claire scooped up the pieces in her palms.

"I'm…, I'm sorry," Vidia said. "I thought it was secure. But does it really matter? I'm not Valerie."

This pushed all of Claire's buttons in the worst possible way. "No. You're not. Valerie made this for me. My Valerie."

"Queen Clarion. Mom, I'm-"

"Don't you dare call me, _Mom_," Claire answered. There was more than anger in her voice. Vidia sensed an undercurrent of hateful venom. "I am _not_ your mother and you… you are _not_ my daughter. You're right, Valerie is dead. You are nothing but a fraud. An impostor. A changeling who has taken my little girl's place to torment me. No more. You are no longer welcome in this house."

"I can fix it," Vidia claimed. "With Tinker Bell's help it can be fixed. A little snail slime or quick dry maple sap will do it."

"What you broke can't be fixed," Claire criticized. "I made this with my little girl when she was four. It was a wonderful moment in my life. You've taken that away just like you've taken Valerie away."

"But Tink and I can make it-."

"SHE IS NOT TINKER BELL!" Claire shouted. "And you are not Valerie. I tried to take you in. Tried to pretend you were still my baby. I can't pretend anymore. You toy with me, you tease me. You have Valerie's face and voice, but you're not her. Instead you remind me of what I've lost and will never have back in my life ever again. I want nothing more to do with you. The court says I have to keep you here, but if I had my choice I would throw you out. From now on just stay out of my way."

Vidia knew this was Regina's curse talking, but she couldn't help taking it to heart. She had been rejected by her own queen. Banished. Not unlike Swift, Festus and the other fast flyers who had betrayed Pixie Hollow. Claire no doubt felt betrayed, too. The parallels were far too eerie to ignore and it left Vidia pained and heartbroken inside. Whatever she was to do lift to the curse, Vidia would have to do it living somewhere else. That night she packed up clothing, money and any personal items she thought she might need. Then she bundled herself up against the cold winter air and left home.

The fast flyer turned human had one place in mind, Lord Milori's house. Tina had explained to her the concept of a phone book the other day and she used it to find his address under the name of Hartley Winter. A basic map was printed within the pages of the phone book. She carefully tore it out and tried to navigate by it. However, page did not list minor residential streets and she quickly got lost. After several hours of walking and looking she found a bench at a bus stop and sat down to rest.

"Maybe I should have waited until morning," she muttered through chattering teeth. "It's colder than the Winter Woods out here." Her very breath turned to vapor each time she spoke.

She wrapped herself in a thin blanket she had brought with her and tried to stay warm. A light dusting of snow flurries was on the ground and a little more began to fall. The cold air, chill wind and humid atmosphere cut through every layer of warm clothing she wore. She felt it down to her bones. It numbed her and soon Vidia found herself wanting to sleep.

"I have to stay awake," she told herself.

"Get up. Find Lord Milori's house," she ordered. Her mind was willing, her body wasn't. Vidia could spend the entire night wandering the streets of Storybrooke looking for his home and never find it. This late at night no one was out and about. Now she wanted to go back to Queen Clarion's home and sleep, but she was lost and couldn't find her way back.

Vidia assumed that it was well after midnight. The streets were abandoned except for a pair of headlights that approached her. Suddenly blue and red lamps flickered on and a siren blasted once. The police cruiser. Sheriff Emma Swan drove up. "You okay? Do you need a lift home?"

"I c-can't," she said shivering. Emma helped the girl into the passenger seat and warm air of the cabin. Vidia was able to explain what happened.

"I'm sure Hartley Winter is asleep by now. I'm taking you home, kid," Emma said looking at the glowing clock of her police cruiser dashboard which read two thirty in the morning.

"I can't go home," Vidia replied. "My queen has banished me."

"My home." Emma drove off to Mary Margaret's place.

* * *

**~O~**

Vidia didn't realize just how long she had been outdoors in the cold weather. When she woke the next morning a cheery woman's face with short black hair greeted her. "Hi," Mary Margaret said. "Hungry?"

"W-why am I s-still c-cold?" Vidia asked.

Mary Margaret put her hand to Vidia's forehead. "You're burning up. You've got a fever."

Emma Swan took Vidia to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a severe cold. The young woman was feeling the effects quite readily. Chills, body aches, sneezing, a nose that was alternating runny and stuffy, her eyes watered and she coughed often. When walking around Vidia was weak. Her body felt heavy, as if someone had somehow been able to increase the Earth's gravity.

The doctor suggested the usual: lots of rest, hydration and chicken soup. Because of the severity of the viral infection, he also prescribed antibiotics to prevent a secondary bacterial infection from setting in while she recovered.

"You can give her Tylenol for the aches and pains and the fever" he said. He then warned against any cough and cold medication with Acetaminophen as an ingredient if Vidia took Tylenol separately. "Tylenol is Acetaminophen. You don't want to over medicate."

Emma returned Vidia to Mary Margaret's home. She was surprised to see the school teacher still there.

"I can't leave her here alone in this condition and her mother isn't home. What else was I supposed to do?" Mary Margaret said. "I took a sick day. A substitute teacher will cover for me at the school."

Okay, I've get to get back to the station house," Emma replied. "Call if you need anything."

Vidia lay down on the sofa, shivering from the chills and fever she was experiencing. Moments later Mary Margaret presented her with a cup of hot chicken soup with vegetables. Vidia knew it contained the flesh of an animal, but she was too weak and tired and too hungry to protest. She sipped the hot broth and spooned the chunks of vegetables and chicken meat. It tasted so good.

**~O~**

It took a good while for Vidia to get comfortable on Mary Margaret's couch. The chills, body aches, sneezing and coughing made it hard for her to get to sleep. Then, when she could her stuffy nose made it hard for her to stay asleep. The perky school teacher presented her with some red, jelly filled pills. "This will help clear your nose a bit, ease the aches and let you rest."

Vidia downed the "Nyquil" with a glass of cool water. At first she thought the woman was lying about the pills' efficacy because she did not feel any better right away. However, within an hour or so her nose cleared up and her body wasn't racked with constant pain. Soon, Vidia could rest and she slept for several hours.

* * *

**~O~**

She was soaring. For the first time since awakening in Storybrooke Vidia was flying again. It was a most liberating sensation. The wind in her hair, the sun in her face, the waters below and the island of Never Land in the distance.

Glorious.

Her hands were outstretched and she basked in her return to flight. She joined a flock of seagulls that were winging their way to the island. Then she soared high into the atmosphere, twisting and curving right along the very edges of the cloud tops. The golden hue of sunlight on the cottony clouds was a reassuring sight. Vidia could stay up here forever.

Never Land was below and she dove on the Island pulling up just feet above its surface. Vidia swept across the plains, flew just above the treetops of the pine forest, buzzed the mermaids, frightened he cannibals and zigged-zagged around the hills before ascending to the very top of Never Peak Mountain. She set down and took in the most wonderful view.

"It's good to be home," she said happily.

"Hello," a voice called to her.

Vidia was taken aback. Next to her was that foolish Peter Pan. A longer look, though, revealed it wasn't him. Not the one she knew. Her Pan was mischievous, but harmless. This boy was different. She could see the malevolence in his face. He reeked of chaos and evil. His cruel smile sent a wave of fear down her spine. One that she had not felt since waking up as a human in a world of humans.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"You shouldn't be concerned with that," he said. "You aren't the one I'm looking for."

This Pan was about to leave her alone when he stopped. "But I suspect you know where he might be."

"I'm not telling you anything," Vidia said most defiantly.

"Yes… you will."

Vidia tried to leap into the air, but something held her down. His shadow. The shadow of this Peter Pan was an entity of pure evil. It grabbed her shadow and pulled it away from her. Vidia screamed in pain. It felt as if her very skin was being scorched off her body. Then Pan grabbed her face with his hands and stared into her eyes. She became transfixed by them.

"Where is he?" he asked. His mind entered hers. She could feel his wicked nature as his consciousness invaded hers like the tentacles of a squid. Tendrils that probed very corner of her mind. There was only one thing she could think of which described what he was doing to her. He was raping her mind.

She saw his past and his present. The boys he led away from home to Never Land. The dangerous games they played. Every night many whimpered and cried for their mothers. When they served no purpose or turned against him he murdered them. Vidia could hear their pitiful screams as they died from his torture.

He watched each of them die with a smile on his face. He actually enjoyed it. This creature, Vidia knew, was the devil himself.

"Where is he?" the Dark Peter Pan asked again, this time more forcefully.

Then, both spoke as one, "Story... brooke."

"That's where my prey lies," he told himself. "The truest believer."

Pan released her. Vidia quickly collected her wits. They were high above the island now. Only the shadow prevented her from wringing this malignant child's neck. "I'll get you for this," she screamed with unbridled anger.

"You can't even catch me," Dark Peter Pan told her, his wicked smile showing off his supreme confidence.

"You underestimate me," Vidia told him smugly. "I'm the fastest fast flyer in all of Never Land. No one can outfly me and no one can escape me."

"Really?" Pan laughed. "And how do you intend to catch me when you have no wings?"

For the first time since arriving here Vidia became aware that she had no wings. She could not feel them, she could not see them. Then she noticed she was still a human.

"Release her," Dark Pan ordered the shadow. It let her go and Vidia plummeted towards the ground and certain death. She screamed, panic filling her mind and body as the island raced up to her. The evil Peter Pan followed her down. "I say, you are quite fast," he said with a smug laugh. "Pity you can only fly in one direction."

Vidia watched with growing terror as the rocks below grew larger and larger. They loomed in her vision, she readied herself for death, if one could do such a thing. The rocks careened up to meet her face and then all was black.

* * *

**~O~**

"AAAH!" Vidia hit the ground with a thud. She looked around. It was unfamiliar. _It was all a dream, wasn't it?_ she asked herself. Then she heard that voice.

"Are you okay? Did you hit your head?" It was the kindly school teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard.

"Where am I?" Vidia asked. She was covered in her own perspiration from head to toe. Vidia was breathing hard and her heart pounded like it wanted to leap from her chest. The images from her dream, her nightmare, faded. Evaporating until all she saw was that face. Pure, unfettered evil. It laughed with delight at her torment. Then it was gone. She had no memory left, but she was still shaken by it.

"Are you okay?" Ms. Blanchard asked again. Vidia nodded her head yes, but before she could say a word she sneezed. Hard. She took her hands away from her face, the palms were covered in a green, slimy goo.

"Oh, why don't you go and wash up," Mary Margaret advised. She helped the girl to her feet and guided her to the bathroom. While Vidia washed up Ms. Blanchard took the blankets and pillow case from the couch and put them in the washing machine. She filled the tub with hot water, soap and some Lysol liquid disinfectant cleaner.

She then sprayed down the couch and pillow with more Lysol and then carefully stuffed all of Vidia's used tissues into the overflowing trashcan. Mary Margaret removed the trash can liner, tied it off and placed it by the door so it could be taken out later before replacing it with a new liner.

When Vidia exited the bathroom she noticed how clean the couch was now. It even had fresh linens. "Here," her hostess offered, "try some of this herbal tea. It's Echinacea, this will help you feel better soon."

Vidia took a sip of the tea and found the herbal flavors tantalizing. Not unlike the herbal infusions back home. She took more sips and inhaled the aroma. The pills she had taken were wearing off, but she could still smell the tea. The infusion also helped to calm her nerves. Her heart stopped pounding and she was breathing normally. Ms. Blanchard presented her with more chicken soup.

"You sounded like you had a nightmare," Ms. Blanchard said.

"I did," Vidia replied.

"What was it about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's gone, faded from memory," Vidia told her. "But based on how I feel, I'm glad I can't remember. I don't think I could ever sleep again if I did."

* * *

**Dark Never Land and the Evil Peter Pan will appear once again in Season 3. If you like this story please let me know with a review or a PM. Thank you.  
**


	104. Chapter 104

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 10**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

To a mother, any trinket loved or created or given to them by their child is a precious thing. When that child is gone before their time it becomes more precious than gold. It becomes irreplaceable. The trinket, no matter how cheap or useless is a touchstone to a wonderful era. It rekindles memories of events long gone and easily forgotten through the mists of time. Such trinkets are time machines, whisking parents back to those days when their child was young and innocent and the center of their lives.

Break or destroy such a memento and it is like cutting the mother's ties to the past. It cuts loose the last tethers to a great period in their life. It is like cutting out a mother's heart. That was how Claire felt when the ornament fell and broke. It took away one of her last connections to Valerie and reminded her that the girl standing in front of her was not that girl anymore.

The night before Claire had slept soundly. This night she wept, tossed and turned. She dreamt of her baby girl and all the wonderful moments they shared together. When morning came Claire opened the door to Valerie's bedroom and found it empty. Part of her was grateful that the changeling was gone. She didn't need that woman clouding her true memories. Part of her worried for her darling girl. Dr. Hopper told her that Valerie was still in there, but Claire simply could not see passed the façade. Vidia was not Valerie. She had to go before Vidia ruined any more of Claire's precious keepsakes. Before she eradicated every last memory of her first, precious child.

When Tina learned of Valerie's departure she was livid. "You drove her away," Tina screamed. "How could you throw her out?"

"I didn't throw her out," Claire said trying to rationalize. "She left on her own."

"No, you said last night you wanted her to leave," Tina said accusingly. "How was she supposed to stay here knowing you didn't want her? That you didn't love her? Are you going to throw me out, too, if I change? If I start to act different?"

"Oh, no, sweetheart," Claire said sweetly. "I would never force you to leave. You are my one and only baby girl."

"You have two girls," Tina responded angrily. "Or you have none!"

It sounded like an ultimatum. Claire became angry inside at Tina, but she did not say a word. She had lost one daughter, she could not stand to lose the other. Instead, she let Tina run up the stairs and slam the door to her room.

Claire moved to the couch to sit down, but she missed by inches and fell to the floor. Her worst fears were now coming true. Her family was coming apart at the seams. She looked up at the tree. So many wonderful memories of Christmases gone by. She and Charlie alone, then with Valerie and then Tina.

She remembered Valerie's first Christmas. They had put the baby on a thick blanket at one end of the room while she and Charlie decorated the tree. The young couple put on the lights, then the ornaments and garland. Finally they added the tinsel. Claire turned around to look at the baby to check on her.

To her horror, the blanket was empty. Valerie was missing. "Charlie, where's the baby? Where's the baby?!" she panicked. Then Claire heard the familiar gurgling and laughter of her little one. It came from beneath the tree. Somehow, while she and Charlie were not looking, Valerie had crawled under the tree and was grasping at the pretty tinsel that hung down from the lowest branches, the infant giggling with delight.

"Now how did you get under there?" Claire asked with a relieved smile. The mother lay down next to her child and watched her play with the ornaments. She enjoyed this so much. Valerie's innocence, her delight at discovery, her gleeful play. It all just made Claire feel so wonderful inside.

She looked down at the handmade ornament that once belonged to Valerie. Claire was reminded of Tina's first Christmas. Eight year old Valerie put garland and tinsel on baby Tina as if she were a little Christmas tree. Claire was tickled inside, but worried outside. She didn't want Tina to accidentally choke with the garland wrapped around her neck and head.

Now she regretted not having a camera handy to photograph those moments.

Claire placed the shards of Valerie's broken ornament on the coffee table. It seemed a fine metaphor for what was happening to her family and her world right now. "Oh, Charlie, what have I done? Where did I go wrong?"

Deep down inside, she knew the answer. Claire just refused to accept it. The pain of losing her oldest girl in such a gut wrenching way wouldn't let her.

**~O~**

Hartley Winter arrived at Mary Margaret's to take Vidia to his home. She was still sick and feverish, but the girl was looking better. He put her things into his van.

"Thank you," Vidia told Mary Margaret. "I don't know how to repay your kindness."

"You can make amends with your mother," Ms. Blanchard told her. "That's how you can repay me."

"I'll try," she said. "But right now I don't think my queen is going to be very receptive."

"Give her time," Mary Margaret said. "Claire is your mother. She loves you. She'll come around."

"I hope so," Vidia said before offering her goodbyes.

Emma helped the weakened girl to Mr. Winter's work van. When she returned to Mary Margaret's home she shook her head and stated, "Valerie sounds just like Henry and his fairy tales."

"Yeah," Mary Margaret said wistfully. "I wonder what it would be like to be a Queen. You sit around on your throne all day long, have servants bring you whatever you need. Maybe spend the day riding a horse through you kingdom."

"I think if you're a fairy you have wings," Emma replied. "Remember the movie? She had those big, glowing wings?"

"Oh, right. Then I wouldn't need a horse," Mary Margaret replied. "How tragic."

"Tragic?"

"I like horses."

**~O~**

Hartley delivered Vidia to his single story home by way of Granny's where he picked up a supply of chicken soup. He put the to-go containers in the refrigerator before taking Vidia to the guest bedroom.

"You can sleep here until I can talk some sense into your mother," he told her.

"Thank you, Lord Milori," Vidia replied.

"Last time I was James Bond," Hartley chuckled. "Now I'm a lord, I must be moving up in the world."

She gave him a puzzled look. "Who's James Bond?"

He smiled, "I'll tell you later. Now get some rest so you can get well quickly."

Vidia slipped into the bed, covered herself in blankets promptly fell asleep.

**~O~**

Claire put all of her free time into working at the gymnasium to finish the preparations for the Christmas Festival. She disliked going home to an angry daughter and a house with an empty bedroom. It felt wrong, just as wrong as having a girl who wasn't her daughter anymore living there.

This was her dilemma. She worried frantically about Valerie. Where was she? Was she ill? Was she eating? Was she safe?

At the same time she kept remembering Valerie insisting on being called "Vidia." And Vidia often times referred to her as Queen Clarion and Tina as Tinker Bell. It hurt her so much to be so conflicted. Mother Superior told her to love unconditionally. This was what Claire was trying to work out for herself. How to love unconditionally. It seemed so easy when it was someone she cared about.

**~O~**

"Valerie is staying at my house." Hartley was at the gymnasium checking upon Claire's progress. He told her the news to allay her fears.

"How is she doing?" Claire asked without turning to meet his eyes.

"She has a cold," Hartley told her. "And a modest fever, but she is getting better."

"Oh."

"Is that all you can say about your own child?" Hartley asked her, upset at Claire's seeming lack of interest.

"I don't know what she is anymore, Hartley," Claire painfully admitted. "I don't know anything anymore."

He sighed. "I see. You can visit her whenever you wish." And that was all he said about the subject.

Hartley was confused by Claire's stance until she heard her answer. Losing a child is always a difficult process. Suffering in this way must have been agonizing for Claire.

Inwardly, Claire kept wondering what to do next. Though she wasn't particularly religious, she had started asking God for help. She would be a better mother and would make things right if only she could have her Valerie back. Even if only for a moment. She wanted to apologize and be forgiven for her mistake.

Claire was in the bargaining stage now. And it showed outwardly. She was often confused or distracted. Her orders didn't always make sense and had to be reminded of what was said. There were moments when the only thing she could think about was wanting to die. At least then she wouldn't have to suffer like this anymore.

**~O~**

Vidia woke from a very lucid dream. One that involved flying, but was much more pleasant than the last one. Like the previous dream, it left a lasting impression. Unlike the last one, she remembered this dream in exceptional detail. It also gave her something else: clarity of vision. She contacted Clarence and asked for his assistance in something. Then, later in the evening she called Tina and asked for her to deliver something to Lord Milori.

"Don't you mean Hartley Winter?"

"Yes, him. I need it tomorrow. And I'll need your help with it, too."

**~O~**

When the Christmas Festival arrived it was a rousing success. Vidia attended with Hartley Winter. She was helping at his booth reciting speeches and handing out pens, candy and small gift bags with items that carried his company name and logo.

The Festival began in earnest with a musical overture followed by a short pageant reenacting The Nativity. Vidia marveled at the procession of Mary and Joseph riding in on a donkey. Ashley Boyd and her fiancé Sean Herman portrayed Mary and Joseph, respectively. Their infant child Alexandra played the baby Jesus. Shepherds and the Three Kings arrived to pay homage to the infant. Pre-teen children dressed as angels sang during the pageant. When the production ended those in attendance erupted into applause for the efforts of those involved. Everyone agreed it was well staged and choreographed

Almost everyone. Regina didn't care much for these things. Too much mawkish sentimentality. She walked around the gym taking in all the splendorous sights and sounds, the enticing aroma of the food and the blaring music from the band which replaced the actors. She came up to the vendor booth where Claire Kensington was working. Mrs. Kensington and her youngest daughter, Tina, were busy handing out caps, t-shirts, pens and mouse pads emblazoned with her company name and logo.

Tina spent most of her time giving away the items to passersby while Claire made her regular presentation using the aid of a computer laptop and a PowerPoint slideshow. She flipped through pictures of her previous work and read several testimonials from former clients.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Kensington," Regina said to Claire. "I heard you took over this project a few days ago. Honestly, I thought the gym would have burst into flames by now."

"That would only happen if Mr. Gold were in charge," Claire remarked snidely.

"How appropriate." Regina said with a phony smile. "I noticed one of your daughters is not with you today," the mayor pointed out. "You do know that Valerie has been remanded into your custody. If she isn't returned to you soon I can throw her back into jail for breaking the condition of her release."

Claire felt her heart sink. She had fought so hard to keep the girl out of jail. "She is her own person now," Claire retaliated. "Valerie can do just fine without my help. Just leave her alone."

"You deny her and protect her in the same sentence," Regina observed. "How interesting."

The mayor smiled again and walked away. Tina continued to hand out items while Claire worked to sign up potential clients. The sign-up sheet she put out was rather empty. The news that Valerie had left under unhappy circumstances had already circulated throughout the city. It kept people away from her booth in droves. Scandal always seemed to dog Claire wherever she went. With few potential clients at her booth she sent Tina for some food from the serving line.

While she waited for the blonde girl to return, Claire looked around at the bustling festival. She spotted Granny and her staff dishing out the food, Marco selling clocks and Rube Goldberg like trinkets that he had fashioned in his store. The flower shop in town sold wreaths and floral arrangements here. There was even a place where a professional photographer snapped Christmas photographs.

Elsewhere in the gym, several vendor booths were offering a variety of handmade gift ideas. One sold nothing but what had been crocheted, a second offered everything in leather, a third sold plants, while another vendor was selling hand painted art by a young lady with blonde hair. Her friend was an adorably dorky redhead.

Tina returned with two plates consisting of a thick slice of turkey, honey baked ham and a tamale along with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. Ruby followed behind with two slices of pumpkin pie and two glasses of sweet tea. "Here you go," Ruby said, putting down the two glasses.

"Valerie hasn't come home yet?" she asked spying the rather empty booth.

"No, not yet, soon maybe," Claire said, hoping to avoid this conversation.

"I hope she does before Christmas," Ruby replied. "Gotta go. The line is getting pretty long. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Claire reciprocated. She sighed, picking at her food. This holiday just wouldn't be the same without Valerie. Claire tried to eat while scanning more of the other booths. She spotted a similar vendor nearby. Hartley Winter was advertising his business just like she was. Claire then spotted a familiar, dark haired pony tail.

"Valerie?" Claire was thrilled to see her girl up and around and well. She just could not muster the courage to go and talk to her.

"Be safe, sweetie," she whispered. "And I'm sorry."

* * *

**The Christmas Interlude will conclude in the next chapter. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Please leave a review. Thank you.**


	105. Chapter 105

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 9, Chapter 11**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Clarence and his band began playing once the stage was clear. Their many hours of practice paid off. They sounded quite good. Each Christmas song they played was met with enthusiastic applause. While they were engaged in a lively rendition of _Jingle Bell Rock_, Lydia approached Claire and asked that she accompany her to the stage.

"Why?"

"You are an excellent piano player, are you not?" Lydia asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Clarence's band could use an extra hand on the piano for an upcoming number," Lydia explained. "Their own piano player is…, insufficient to the task."

"I haven't practiced in some time," Claire answered. In fact she had not practiced in more than a year. She felt just as insufficient as the young men onstage. However, she was the next best option. Lydia, while an excellent thespian and musician was not skilled on the piano. "What do they want me to play?"

"An arrangement of _Silent Night_ written only for piano," Lydia answered. "It requires a deft touch which only a practiced master can achieve."

The video store owner showed Claire the sheet music. It was easy enough to play, but giving it the required reverence and emotional undercurrent was a different story. "I don't know if I can do this on such short notice."

"If you do not, the young man who plays the keytar will make this sound like so much bad comedy. In all likelihood they will be booed of the stage," Lydia told her. "We need your experience and steady hand."

"Can I practice once or twice before I go onstage and make a fool out of myself?" Claire asked.

Lydia agreed. Claire flagged down Mary Margaret whose students played the angels in the pageant.

"I hate to ask, but can you help Tina, Ms. Blanchard?" Claire asked the school teacher. Lydia explained why and Mary Margaret quickly agreed.

"Go. Play. I've been wanting to hear you ever since I found out you were a pianist," Ms. Blanchard said. "Tina spoke very highly of your talent when she was in my class."

Lydia led Claire to a back room with a piano already set up and waiting. "This is the same piano you will be using on stage," Lydia told her. "It is being stored back here until it is needed."

Claire settled in and practiced scales and other warm up exercises before attempting the song. She tripped over herself several times, but with each attempt her play improved. Under such duress Claire was surprised at just how quickly she was able to find her musical groove again. When it was time Claire was introduced to the crowd. Many wore puzzled looks or quirked eyebrows. Scandal once again swirled around her name and it tainted the crowd against her.

"You'll be just fine, Claire, just do it like your college recital," she said to herself trying to calm her nerves. Claire began in fine form, she poured all of her heart and soul into the tender keystrokes of the music. Her emotions seeped into her fingers. It imbued the music with a genuine quality that was not lost on the crowd that bothered to listen. Those who had chosen to leave for the adjoining room where the Bingo was about to start were drawn back in by the lovely piano music. Claire carried the entire song by herself, she had no musical or vocal accompaniment. She played it beautifully. When the last keys were touched and the last notes played the entirety of the assembled crowd was held in her trance. They applauded with more enthusiasm than they had for any song played by Clarence's band.

Lydia asked if she was up for another piece. This one was more demanding, though. Claire, now feeling her confidence return, agreed. The music was _Wizards in Winter _by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She attacked the piece with gusto, adding flares of whimsy and joyfulness to the already outsized piece. The crowd cheered when the song began and they recognized it. They cheered even louder when the number was completed. Claire took a bow and the attendees raised their voices showing their pleasure and approval of her work.

Ms. Kensington felt renewed, as though an old weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had always wanted to know what it would feel like to play before an audience. The applause, the adulation, the thrill of a live performance. It was just as she had imagined it, only more satisfying. Her only previous attempts were in college as part of her academic training. This time, she did without the aid of her teacher present. She did this entirely without some kind of safety net to bolster her confidence.

She loved it immensely. The question of whether or not she could have been successful as a professional musician had been answered. A question which had been eating at her ever since she was wed to Charles Kensington and they adopted a little girl they named Valerie.

"Valerie?" Claire spotted her again. She and Hartley were standing next to Claire's vendor booth.

"I wanted you to know that this was entirely her idea," Hartley told Claire, as if trying to avoid a harsh punishment. "She knew how much you had always wanted to prove you could be an expert pianist."

"Yes, we spoke about it once," Claire said. She turned to the young girl, her one time daughter. "Thank you. It was a most enlivening experience."

"I…, I want to come home," Vidia said. "I'm sorry about breaking my ornament. I know how important it was to you."

Claire's elation swiftly fled. This whelp claiming Valerie's ornament as her own was the height of impudence. "You're…, you're not Valerie. I don't know if I can do that."

"I had a dream the other day," Vidia said. "A memory."

* * *

**~O~**

_It was an autumn afternoon. The wind was cool, but comfortable. The leaves had started to turn, but the lawn was still a lush green. Valerie was just four years old._

_"Ready my little pilot?" Charlie asked of Valerie._

_"Ready, Daddy," she answered excitedly. She wore his safety goggles and something that resembled a bomber jacket for a four year old girl. Claire had stitched it for her._

_"Contact," he said._

_"Contact," Valerie replied. She made sputtering noises with her mouth. Then it turned into the roar of an engine. A single prop airplane engine. Charlie picked her up, she put her hands out to her sides and he ran around the yard keeping her just above the grass._

_"Higher," the little girl squealed. Charlie lifted her higher in the air. This time at waist level. "Higher!" Now she was at arm level. "No, higher!"_

_Charlie lifted the excited child into the air and placed her precariously on his hand. He held her aloft like a waiter holding a serving tray above his head. He trotted around the back yard moving in erratic lines as she leaned into each turn._

_"I'm flying. Mommy, look. I'm flying."_

_"Yes, dear. Yes you are," Claire said cheerfully. "Please be careful with my baby," she told her husband._

_"Always, dear." Charlie kept his little girl aloft for nearly fifteen minutes. With his help, she dove on the dog, climbed high into the stratosphere, zipped across the savannah and plowed through obstacle courses that were actually the swing set and slide in the back yard._

_Valerie's father then dropped her, catching the girl into his grasp and swung her around. From her perspective she was zooming up and down. She squealed with sheer delight._

_"Charlie!" Claire glowered. "It's time to land."_

_"Okay, hon. Tower to pilot," her father called out. "Tower to pilot, ready for landing."_

_"Ready!"_

_Charlie then ran out to the edge of the yard, twirled her around a couple of times and then walked her back the house, slowly drifting her closer to the ground. "Lower landing gear."_

_"Landing gear down and locked." Her feet were down. When she was close enough she put her feet to the grass and proceeded to run. Her father released and she ran right into the waiting arms of her mother who snatched her up into a big hug._

_"Mommy, I flew, I flew. Did you see me?"_

_"Yes, dear, I certainly did," Claire replied. "You were wonderful. Superb."_

_Charlie, who was now huffing and puffing, caught up with the energetic girl and wrapped both Valerie and Claire into a huge bear hug. He kissed each one with affection._

_"You'll be a fine pilot someday," he told the four year old Valerie. "I'm so proud of you."_

* * *

**~O~**

"Afterwards, Dad went into his den to call up clients and you and I spent the evening making my Christmas ornament," Vidia told her.

* * *

**~O~**

_Claire guided her little one's hands with her large fingers as they formed and made the base. "Now what do you want it to say?"_

_"I Love Mommy," little Valerie barked happily._

_"What about your father?"_

_Valerie thought about it for a moment. "Can I make two?"_

_Claire laughed. "Maybe next year, sweetie."_

* * *

**~O~**

"We glazed and baked it in the oven. When Christmas arrived, you picked me up and let me put it up first. You were so pleased… so very pleased to see me place my very own ornament on the tree. You said it was the best Christmas present you got that year. Dad was happy, too. And he never once complained that I didn't put him on there."

"He knew you loved him already," Claire answered. "You showed him every day. In all the little things you did together."

Claire couldn't believe her ears. No one knew that story. She treasured it so. She kept it close to her heart, but had forgotten about it in recent years. Hearing this Vidia person recite that memory with such accuracy brought it all back.

"Do you remember anything else?" Claire asked.

"No, just that one moment, but it was enough," the dark haired girl said. Vidia didn't remember anything else. But it wasn't the memory that was important, it was how it made her feel. The emotions, the fun, the love of family was so overpowering. It was an epiphany. A revelation that shook Vidia to her core and forced her to re-evaluate her life. She explained to Claire that fairies arrive as young adults, they don't have parents; they do not attend school and already know fundamental things like walking, talking and eating. What they learn from their guild is how to make proper use of their talent.

"I never knew what it was like to have a family," she told Claire. "A mother and a father. You, I mean, Queen Clarion was motherly, but she never tucked us in at night or helped us with crafts. She was always too busy administering Pixie Hollow to be anything more than a figurehead."

"What are you saying?" Claire asked.

"I never knew what I was missing until I had that dream," Vidia answered. "Now I do. It's what I've always needed. I think my life could have been very different if I had a family. Not just a guild and friends. But a real mother and father."

The one truly unique experience fairies did not share with humans was having a family and the love that came from it. Now Vidia felt it in her heart with an intensity greater than anything ever before. She needed a mother.

Claire's face crinkled into a tearful smile. "Oh my baby!" She reached out and snatched up Vidia into her arms.

"Mom!" Vidia responded with equal heartfelt sincerity.

"I'm so sorry," Claire told her. "I'm so sorry. I should never have turned my back on you. I should never have been so mean. You belong to me. You're my little girl. You will always be my little girl."

"Can I come home now?" Vidia asked.

"Yes, dear. Yes you can. You are so important to me." Claire reached out and begged for Tina to join them. She hugged both girls, one in each arm. "You are my little miracles. You are both important to me."

Her family was whole again. Claire finally got the closure she so desperately needed. Vidia might not be her Valerie, but she was Valerie deep down just like Dr. Hopper said. This single memory surfacing proved it.

An outpouring of applause took the three of them by surprise. Their sweet reunion had drawn a crowd. Mary Margaret hugged Claire and then Vidia. "See, I told you she would come around."

Hartley was clapping, though at a distance to give them privacy. Ruby, Granny, David and even Desiree, Lydia and Cleo were also there. "Awe, isn't that sweet," Desiree said in her sunny, southern drawl. "I can't wait to do my show on Monday and tell everyone. This is just so lovely."

Mayor Regina Mills stormed up to the booth with Sheriff Swan in tow. "There she is, Sheriff. Valerie Kensington no longer resides with Claire Kensington. She is in violation of the terms of her release. I demand you arrest her."

"She isn't in violation of anything," Claire replied harshly. "My daughter is coming home with me."

"But I thought she was living with Hartley Winter?" Regina asked.

"You need to stop reading that trashy newspaper reporter you like to boss around," Vidia said with a smirk. "That guy never gets his facts straight."

Regina shot her an evil look.

"So everything is alright between you two?" Emma asked.

"It's just fine, sheriff," Mrs. Kensington answered happily.

"The-n I guess my work here is done," Emma replied sarcastically.

Claire gave both Emma and the mayor a hat with her company name and logo on it. Emma wore it proudly. Regina just threw it onto the ground in disgust before walking off, fuming.

"Don't go away mad," Vidia said under her breath. "Just go away."

Henry was in the crowd, watching and listening. He stepped forward and addressed Vidia directly. "Did you actually remember all of that?"

"Yes I did, Henry," she answered.

The boy turned to Emma and smiled. "You're doing it," he said. "You're breaking the curse."

"Henry, it's a Christmas Miracle," Emma said trying to talk him out of that ridiculous idea.

"Yeah, and you helped," he said, trying to convince her it wasn't so ridiculous.

"C'mon, Henry, let me buy you a tamale," Emma said.

**~O~**

News spread like wildfire through the attendees at the festival. As soon as people heard that Claire and Valerie had a heartfelt reunion they lined up to take caps, mouse pads and pens. The sign-up sheet filled quickly and by the time Claire had to shut down the booth for lack of giveaways she had ten pages of potential clients.

The festival was still in full swing so they decided to partake in the revelry. Claire bought a knitted shawl for herself. Tina selected warm mittens while Vidia purchased a small painting lovingly rendered by the blond young woman. It was of a tree with a yellow glow at its heart.

"Where did see this image?" she asked the artist.

"It's fan art," she said. "My friend here is a huge fan of those _Tinker Bell_ movies. I painted the tree where all the fairies live."

"It's called the Pixie Dust Tree," Vidia told them.

"Yeah, I keep telling her that, but she doesn't seem to remember," the scatter brained redhead answered. "I know everything there is to know about those movies. The next one is going to be about the mysterious Winter Woods. Well of course they're mysterious, no one's been there yet. Hello! Earth to me."

"The Winter Woods?" Vidia asked.

"Yeah, it'll be released soon. I can't wait. Wait! What? Didn't I just say that?"

"Nope, not once," the blonde replied with a roll of her eyes.

Vidia paid for the small painting of the Pixie Dust Tree and rejoined her mother and sister. When they completed their rounds of the booths, they decided to try their hand at Bingo.

**~O~**

"Wow, sis," Tina exclaimed… _again_…, as the trio came home. "You were awesome at Bingo. Are you sure you've never played before?"

"Never," Vidia replied.

Vidia, despite knowing next to nothing about the game, managed to win a toaster oven, a slow cooker, a stick blender, a single serve coffee maker and a coupon for four to Granny's diner.

"Well I for one am glad you hit Bingo on that slow cooker," Claire said. "We needed another one. While you were away ours shorted out. Now I can make a proper stew again."

**~O~**

A few days later Christmas morning arrived. As usual, Tina was the first one awake. "Get up. Get up. Get up!" she entreated her mother. When Claire finally stirred at the ridiculous hour of four thirty Tina shot out of the room and bothered her sister who was none too happy with being roused at such an unholy hour.

Eventually Claire called a truce. Everyone could open their presents and then they would all go back to sleep. Tina opened hers and screamed with delight. It was the Dremel tool set she had been wanting. Finally it was hers.

Claire opened up one from Tina and found a one year subscription to _This Old House Magazine_. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'll make good use of this."

"Valerie, honey, I didn't know what to get for you because of, well… So why don't we go shopping for some new clothes tomorrow?" Claire asked.

"Okay, I kind of been wanting something different," Vidia replied. "These baggy things are for the birds. Literally. Fawn could house at least four nests in these things.

Vidia then handed her gift to Claire. When she opened it, Claire was stunned. It was Valerie's ornament completely repaired. "Oh, this is incredible. How did you…?"

"Tina helped," Vidia replied.

"I did all the work," Tina said.

Claire hugged Valerie and then went to place the repaired ornament on the tree. "There's more," Vidia told her.

"More?" Inside the box she found another ceramic ornament. At the festival, the three women sat down for family portrait. Valerie had taken one of the smaller wallet sized copies and had it placed inside a frame shaped ornament. It read, "My Family."

Claire nearly fell into tears. She hugged her darling girls and then put it on the tree, high in a place of honor. It all felt right. Claire then decided to bring down one of her photo albums and showed the girls what Christmas was like when they were little. For hours the three flipped through the old pictures and laughed. Claire put her arms around her precious darlings and filled in all the gaps they had since forgotten or never remembered.

It was the most wonderful day of the year.

* * *

**Okay this concludes the Christmas Interlude. I had hoped to have this done by Christmas of 2014, but it was not to be. I hope you enjoyed it, anyway. Please leave a review. Thank you.**

**Author's Note: The artist and her ditzy friend who sell Vidia the painting of the Pixie Dust Tree are an homage / shout out to the crossover story FOREVER FROZEN by Cryoshade. A splendid Fan Fiction that blends the Disney film _Frozen_ and the tv series_ Once Upon a Time_. Cryoshade began her work long before the tv series put the two franchises together. In her work, Elsa and Anna are swept into the curse and live in Storybrooke as Alison, a starving artist, and Nina, her best friend. Cryoshade's narrative is amazing and wonderfully written. Please check it out.**


	106. Chapter 106

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 1**

The following takes place before, during and after the events of the tenth episode of the first season titled "7:15 A.M."

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia was still reeling from her tearful confession at the Christmas Festival. Rare was it for her to open up and allow herself to be so emotionally vulnerable. She had always tried her best to be closed off to avoid being hurt. Letting herself feel and become deeply attached to others was how she was manipulated, betrayed and battered the first time around.

Yet whenever she thought about Valerie's memory and experienced the powerful emotions it brought up Vidia couldn't deny its impact. The embrace of family made her feel whole, warm, loved, embraced and insulated from all the ills of the world in a way she never felt before. Even the hurt brought on by Swift and Festus didn't seem to matter as long as she lived in that pleasant moment in time.

It was as if this was what she had been missing her entire life. What made it so hard for Vidia to accept fully was that it was such an _alien_ experience for her. Family not only was not the fairy way, but it was the absolute antithesis of how she lived her life.

It wasn't long after that Tina began to tease her about it. And she started to treat Vidia like a big sister again. At least that was what Claire told her after the fact.

Vidia woke on a cold morning, made a bee line for the shared bathroom in the hall only for Tinker Bell / Tina to race in ahead of her. She stuck her tongue out at Vidia as she closed the door and locked it in her face.

"Hey, I have to use that bathroom," Vidia yelled, outraged.

"Sucks to be you this morning," Tina laughed through the door.

"What does that even mean?" Vidia asked.

"Just use the one in Mom's room," Tina answered.

Vidia grumbled as she stormed down the hall into Claire's bedroom. The once and former fairy queen was not occupying the space so she made use of the bathroom until Tina had freed up the one in the hallway. "I've got to get my own bath house," Vidia grumbled.

Somehow the experience seemed almost painfully familiar.

**~O~**

Claire woke that morning to a much more pleasant sensation. All of the anxieties that still surrounded her seemed far less imposing now. The main reason, she deduced, was that the biggest source of fear and anxiety was the impending disillusionment of her family. Claire still had not gotten out from under her other pressures, but without the dark cloud at home hanging over her head they seemed less out of proportion. She could deal with them in a sane and rational manner.

Money was still her greatest headache. Most of the people who had signed up during the festival were in need of only small jobs. One man bought a new front loading washer and matching dryer for his wife. He needed Claire to install it. The winner of the LED television at the festival asked if Claire could hook it up to the Blu-Ray player and amplifier she already had. Another just needed the automatic ice maker in her freezer replaced. It had stopped working.

None of these jobs paid very much and a few were barely worth the time and effort to go out and do them. Claire took each and every one of them because she needed to squirrel away as much money as she could to help cover her monthly payments to Mr. Gold and now the hospital for Valerie's extended stay. She still had the credit card bills and all her monthly service utilities. With the new year would come tax season and she had to not only pay her income taxes, but also the C.P.A. who would prepare her tax return. At least her home life was now in order. A stressful day on the job could be smoothed over by coming home to two daughters who once again loved and embraced her. That is, when they weren't trying to make each other's lives miserable.

There is an old saying: home was where the heart was. It never felt truer than right now.

"Give me back my hairbrush!" Vidia yelled while pounding on Tina's bedroom door. "You have your own."

"I can't find mine," Tina replied through the locked door.

"That's not my fault, now open up and give it back," Vidia yelled again.

"Oh yeah? Make me," Tina answered.

"Urrghh... MO-M!"

It was so good to be home.

**~O~**

Claire took Valerie clothes shopping at Modern Fashions as promised. Vidia had never shopped for clothes before. In Pixie Hollow clothing talents did most of the tailoring. Sometimes though a fairy made their own clothing. However, in the world of humans clothing was mass produced, she discovered, and stores like Modern Fashions sold these wares.

"Made in Bangladesh?" she said reading the label. "Where is that?"

"Somewhere on the other side of the world," Tina answered.

"Why is it made over there?"

"It's cheaper and it frees up our workers to do other, higher paying work," Claire replied. "They do the mundane manufacturing for us and we buy it from them in U.S. Dollars. They in turn use those dollars to buy government bonds, stocks in U.S. companies and what we mass produce in this country. Oil, technology, food, medicine, whatever they need. It's called a global economy. Didn't I tell you this before?"

"Global? Uh, I don't remember."

"Yes, that's the way it is in the twenty first century," Claire answered.

Vidia sighed, the last few days had been too much for her. Not that the last month had been any less trying.

"So what do I do?" Vidia asked. "How do I make sure it fits?"

"Try it on, sweetie," Claire said, pointing to a dressing room. Vidia went into the closet sized room and tried on a few different pants and shirts. She disliked every single one of them because they were uncomfortable against her skin or because they were too loose fitting. Also, none of them were in purple.

"Hey, sis, try this," Tina suggested pointing to a pair of rather thin looking pants.

"These won't fit," Vidia said. "Look at them. They're scrawny."

"These are leggings," Tina said. "They stretch. Really stretch. Or you could always try these over here. Jeggings."

"Jeggings?"

"Yeah, leggings made to look like blue jeans."

"Blue? That's the color for the water talent guild," she said. "Do they come in purple?"

Tina pulled some leggings for warm weather and for cold. Some in purple and some with purple accents. She was also given blue jeggings to try on as well as skinny jeans in a dark blue color. Unfortunately, none were available in her preferred hue.

The first pair of leggings she tried on were too tight. She had Tina bring in some that were a half size larger. Those fit comfortably. They hugged her curves, accentuated her shape and the deep purple made her feel more like herself. "I like it," she declared. The jeggings were just as satisfactory as were the stretchy blue denim jeans that were a blend of 99% cotton denim and one percent spandex.

She chose a few pairs of leggings, two pairs of blue denim jeggings, two pairs of blue jeans and two pairs of winter leggings in black and plum. Vidia could not, for the life of her, understand exactly how that thin material could keep her warm in this cold weather. Along with these she also chose a few cottony soft t-shirts, all in purple of course. Half had sleeves, half didn't. She also selected two sweatshirts and two flannel shirts with a tartan design of purple and black.

"You don't want something in another color, dear?" Claire asked.

"I like purple, it's my guild colors," Vidia explained.

"…okay."

Claire let Tina choose a few items for herself so she wouldn't feel left out. Mrs. Kensington knew she would be spending a good deal of money she really couldn't afford, but it was for her two girls. And after all that had happened in the last month or so, splurging a little on them was a pleasure and a release.

While Tina and Vidia brought their purchases to the counter, Claire eyed a ladies' vest jacket. She tried it on and viewed herself in the mirror. It looked good on her and it felt very warm and comfortable. She was already spending quite a bit on her girls and could not afford it for herself. "It will have to wait," she sighed.

Vidia noticed this and alerted Tina. "Go and get that for our queen," she said.

"We can't buy that," the little blonde said. "We don't have enough money."

"I've got all that money that Valerie had," Vidia replied. "It should be plenty."

Quietly, Tina circled around to secure the vest jacket while Claire paid for all of the new clothes. Just as they left the store, Vidia claimed to have forgotten a bag and went back inside. Moments later she emerged with a shopping bag secretly containing the jacket.

After shopping at the clothing store, they stopped at Purbeck's Shoes. Vidia chose a pair of winter boots, a pair of plum colored flats and a pair of Converse All-Stars in, of course, purple. "Hey, these are comfortable," she said when trying them on. "No wonder you like to wear them, Tink."

Using her own money, Vidia purchased a pair of Bearpaw Women's Christine shoes with a five inch high ankle and upper and a wool blend lining. The only color available was hickory, but she didn't mind. There was plenty of plum and purple in her wardrobe now. She also paid for a second set for Tina and a third for Claire who didn't want anything for herself, but acquiesced when Vidia insisted.

After shopping for clothes, the three women went to the grocery store to buy food for the rest of the holiday period. Claire wanted some egg nog for New Year's Eve and green tea for her blood pressure. She told Tina and Vidia to get some of what they needed. Tina grabbed a cart and brought Vidia along with her. The fast flyer was quite overwhelmed by all the food that was kept in one place. Fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, butter, cheese, canned foods, packaged rice and beans plus home cleaners, laundry detergent, dishwashing soap and more.

Tina needed a new toothbrush and went to the pharmacy section. "Look!" she said excitedly. She brought over a battery powered electric toothbrush and showed it to her older sister. "It's you!"

Vidia was at a loss. She was staring at a Disney Fairies VIDIA electric toothbrush. A plastic molded sculpture of her head topped the handle and the brush came out of her skull. "What in the…? Hey, this doesn't anything like me," she complained. "Does it?"

"Yeah, the spitting image," Tina said. "And I've got one for me. A Tinker Bell brush."

"HUH?!" Sure enough Tina was holding an identical brush but with a sculpture of Tinker Bell. "How? What?"

"Come on, I want to get some bread for sandwiches," Tina urged. She left Vidia just staring in disbelief at a row of toothbrushes which featured the likenesses of both herself and Tinker Bell, but also Silvermist, Fawn, Iridessa and Rosetta. "Hunh?!" It was just another bizarre moment in Storybrooke which, up to now, had been defined by nothing but bizarre moments.

Then it got worse. While in the bread aisle Vidia passed by the shelves with jelly, jam and peanut butter. She paused and looked back at the bottles of the brown butter. "How did he get his own peanut butter?" she asked incredulous.

"Who?" Tina asked.

Vidia grabbed a bottle off the shelf and showed it to Tina. "Peter Pan. How did he get his own peanut butter?"

Tina just looked at her funny. "I thought you liked Skippy?"

"Who's Skippy? Focus, Tinker Bell. Focus like you're tinkering something for the queen. How did Peter Pan get his own peanut butter?!"

"Val, he's just a fictional character. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal? He's a silly boy who thinks only of himself," she said. "How does he get peanut butter named after him?"

"Kids love him," Tina said. "They recognize the name and character. It's called marketing. At least that's what mom calls it. You used to call it 'preying upon the young minds of impressionable children and subverting the desires of their parents by coercing kids into buying inferior quality products through manipulation and exploitation."

"What does that mean?"

"Marketing."

"Okay, once again, _what does that mean_?"

"They sell cheap stuff to kids by using cute characters they find appealing."

"Uh huh. Next time I'm shopping with the queen."

"Well back then you were mad at everyone," Tina told her. "Mom, me, the whole world."

"I was?" Vidia asked.

"Yup. I like you better now."

"I should hope so."

**~O~**

Later that afternoon Hartley Winter brought over his Christmas gifts for Claire and the girls.

Tina remarked to her sister that their mother would not accept the expensive jacket they had purchased for her. "She didn't even want you to buy her those shoes," the little blonde told her. "She hates it when we spend our money on her. Mom wants to buy for us, not the other way around."

"You could have mentioned that when we bought it," Vidia answered haughtily.

"Hey, it was your bright idea."

"Okay, okay. Let me think. Hmmm… I have a plan," Vidia said.

"What?"

"Let's ask Lord Milori to give Mom the jacket," she suggested. "It will look like he is very in tune with her needs and she'll never know it was from us."

"Uh…, okay. So how do we ask him?"

"Leave that to me." When he arrived, Vidia cut him off at the front door and told him their dilemma.

Hartley Winter was more than willing to assist in their little subterfuge. First, he presented Claire with a fruitcake for the three of them, then a small box containing a pair of diamond stud earrings she had been eyeing the last time they were out on a date. "Oh, they're wonderful," she gushed. "I can't wait to wear them."

"Perhaps tomorrow night, for dinner and dancing?" he said, asking for a date.

"Oh yes, of course," she beamed. "And what's that? Something for the girls?"

"No. A little bird whispered into my ear you would like this," he said.

She opened the box and found the very vest jacket she had tried on at the store earlier. "Oh, my," she gasped. Then in a very knowing tone said, "Valerie asked you to give this to me, didn't she?"

Hartley was stunned. "How did you know?"

"I'm a mother, it's what I do," she said. "I'll take it back tomorrow. They shouldn't be spending their hard earned money on me."

"You're going to break their hearts," he told her. "They bought it for you. Because they love and care for you. Don't throw it back into their faces."

Her lips curled up into a sweet smile. "You're right, Hartley. I would be breaking their hearts. And it is exactly what I've been needing for work during the winter. My other jacket just gets in the way."

"Now that's my little fairy queen," he said.

"Fairy queen?"

"Well, that is what Valerie calls you, isn't it? Queen of the fairies?"

She laughed. "Queen of the Never Fairies," she corrected. "I'm Queen Clarion, ruler of all Pixie Hollow and the Winter Woods. At least that is how she tells it."

"You are my queen," he said lovingly. "Fairy or not."

She grinned. He leaned over and kissed her. They spent the rest of the evening curled up on the couch together talking and watching television. Vidia watched briefly and was satisfied that they were falling deeper in love. Tina wasn't as enthusiastic. She just went upstairs in a huff. "I wish that guy would just leave and never come back."

* * *

**I really tried to have a scene where Claire, Hartley, Tina and Vidia go to the children's ward at the hospital with Hartley and Claire dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause and Tina and Vidia as reindeer. I wanted to do this for no other reason than to put Vidia into a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer costume. Unfortunately, I could never find an organic way to slip it in. I guess you, the readers, will just have to imagine how that might have played out.**

**Enjoy. Please leave a review if you liked the chapter. Thanks.**


	107. Chapter 107

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover  
****Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 2**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire went bounding up the stairs. Tina was close behind holding the telephone receiver. Valerie was so terrified of something she was screaming at the top of her lungs. "Make it stop!" she yelled. "Please just make it stop!"

When Claire threw open the shower curtain what she saw was just like the first scene in _Carrie_. Valerie curled up on the shower floor completely naked, blood pouring from her body in a steady stream. Spray from the showerhead washed the crimson liquid down the drain. Valerie, frightened, sobbed as she stared at her mother. Those big eyes pleading for help.

"I've got the paramedics on the phone," Tina announced.

"Never mind," Claire answered. "It's okay."

"NO! It's not okay," Vidia shrieked in a panic. "I need to go to the hospital. It won't stop."

Claire, realizing that Valerie truly had no idea what was happening to her reassured the girl that everything would be just fine.

**~O~**

An hour later Vidia came downstairs, distressed and exhausted from her ordeal. She sat at the dining room table and plopped her head on her crossed arms. She almost broke into more sobs.

"Awww…, what's wrong?" Tina asked in tones that were half sincere, half mocking. "Don't they have PMS in Pixie Hollow?"

"No, we don't!" Vidia shot back. "We don't wax our legs, or shave our arm pits or our naughty places, we don't shove things where they do not belong **and we most certainly do not get MPS**!"

"PMS," Tina corrected.

"Whatever!"

"Really? Must be nice." Tina, even on the first floor, could still hear her sister's shocked reaction from the second floor when she learned that to deal with this problem she had to apply a tampon. _I have to put that where? That's disgusting!_

Moments later Vidia raised her head and stared at Tina. Her eyes were bloodshot. "When is it going to stop?"

"In four days," Tina answered.

"Four days?! I don't know if I can hold out that long!"

"Oh you'll be fine. You always have before."

"BEFORE?! This has happened before?!"

"Yup. We get it once every month," Tina informed her. "Didn't Mom tell you this?"

Vidia just whimpered, a rare sight to behold. "I can't do this every month," she cried. "The queen doesn't have to endure this, does she?"

"We all do," Tina answered.

"You? Queen Clarion? Even Lord Milori?"

"No, just us women," Tina said.

"Gee, lucky us. Now how do I make it stop?"

"You can't," the little blonde unhelpfully informed her. "We just put up with it until it goes away. But if the symptoms are more than you can handle there are pills you can take."

Suddenly Vidia sensed a ray of hope. "Really?"

"Yeah. Do you have cramps and feel bloated?"

"Yes," Vidia admitted, embarrassed. Tina explained that over the counter pills to relieve this symptoms were in the bathroom. "Ask Mom, she'll show you where they are and how to take them."

"And they'll make all of this go away?"

"Just the bloating and the cramping," she said. "Everything else you'll have to put up with on your own."

Vidia just groaned and plopped her head down on the table again. Tina pulled over a bowl of Hershey's Kisses and offered her a few.

"Here, want some chocolate?"

Vidia raised her head, stared at the tiny chocolate pieces wrapped in silver foil and said, "Okay." She took the _entire bowl_ and retreating to her room.

"Hey, that was for all of us!" Tina protested. Vidia didn't listen. "Thank goodness it only lasts four days. I don't think I can put up with her period for a second longer."

**~O~**

Vidia endured the trial of her period. Despite all the advice she received from Claire and Tina she still hurled every fairy curse, and a few human ones, at her predicament. During the four days her personality changed from acerbic and snarky to likeable and even downright meek. When it ended, she felt nothing but relief. Tina, who enjoyed pushing around her older sister during Valerie's period, lamented losing her gravy train. During those four days she had managed to easily coerce Vidia into doing all of her household chores, including cleaning their shared bathroom, vacuuming, doing the dishes, washing clothes and taking out the trash. She caught hell from her mother when she found out and again from Vidia when she snapped out of her PMS induced personality change.

"It was worth it," Tina ultimately concluded.

**~O~**

The New Year arrived with its usual fireworks and the raising of a ceremonial ball directly in front of Town Hall. The scars of the fire were no longer visible outside, though the reconstruction on the inside was still ongoing. Unlike celebrations in New York and other cities, Storybrooke raised a lighted globe during the final minute of the year. When it reached the top of the tower it lit up in glittery LED lighting with the year, in this case 2012, the brightest.

A fireworks display illuminated the night sky for a full twenty minutes as music played to the spectacularly choreographed light show. At its conclusion the revelers retired to Granny's Diner for a night cap consisting of drinks for the adults and plenty of egg nog for everyone.

Claire and Hartley were together for the moment the New Year greeted them, all bundled up against the cold. They kissed at exactly 12:00 midnight and did not stop until 12:01 a.m. Cold as it was, neither seemed to care. At Granny's the two sat at the counter, drank a couple of glasses of brandy and conversed throughout the night recalling all the good and bad of the previous year. They also confided their hopes for the new one.

Tina and Vidia joined Clarence and Penny at Town Hall to watch the festivities. When the ball rose to signal the coming of the next year Tina, Clarence and Penny sang Auld Lang Syne along with the rest of the crowd. Vidia, who didn't know the words, just hummed along as best she could.

Tina and Clarence shared an affectionate kiss on the cheek. Penny hugged her best friend while Vidia seemed at a loss of what to do next. Tina then provided her own remedy, giving her big sister a huge hug and saying, "Happy New Year!"

Vidia enjoyed the fireworks display, but felt out of place at Granny's. She knew no one there other than her family and their friends. They were all busy with each other, Claire with Hartley and Tina with Clarence and Penny. She sat in the corner and watched the others have their fun. Mary Margaret came by to see how she was doing. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm over that cold," she answered. "Thanks again for letting me stay with you."

"Oh don't make a fuss, I was glad to help. All that matters is that you and your mother have reconciled."

Henry walked up to the two women. "Happy new year," he greeted. He then turned to Vidia and asked, "Have any more memories returned?"

"No, just that one," Vidia answered. "I can't get over how warm and mushy it makes me feel. I hate it."

"Oh, don't be like that," Mary Margaret told her. "Having a family that loves and embraces you is a wonderful feeling."

Vidia replied in her usual haughty tones. "I am a fast flying fairy. We don't have mothers and fathers, we don't have families. We are born as adults. That memory is not mine."

"That's proof that the curse is real," Henry said enthusiastically.

"Oh, Henry, that's an actual memory coming back," Mary Margaret tried to explain.

"What's this I hear?" Mayor Mills said as she approached. She spied Henry at the table with Mary Margaret and Valerie. "Go to the car, Henry, its past your bedtime."

He said his goodbyes and went to the door waiting for Regina. He didn't go the car because it was too cold.

"Look, the mayor's here... just in case someone needs advice for bad ideas," Vidia snipped.

Regina smiled but in a way that made Vidia feel uncomfortable. "Am I to understand that your memory has returned?"

"It's just one memory," Mary Margaret said. "From her childhood."

"How convenient," Regina answered. She moved in close to Vidia and spoke in a low, threatening tone of voice. "I knew you were a fraud. As soon as I have proof I'll put you back behind bars."

"The only fraud here is you posing as a mayor," Vidia rebuked. "I know exactly what you are, a spineless bully who is too much of a coward to face her opponents on her own."

"Why you little…, I'll teach you to talk back to me," Regina hissed.

"You don't need to teach me, I already know how," Vidia volleyed back.

Regina smiled again. "Enjoy your freedom. It won't last." She walked away in a huff and took Henry with her out the door.

"I feel sorry that kid," Vidia mumbled.

"Yeah, so do I."

"How did that woman get to be mayor, anyway," Vidia asked Mary Margaret.

"She is very powerful and very intimidating," Ms. Blanchard answered. "No one has ever been willing to run against her."

"Figures." Vidia noticed that although Mary Margaret was talking to her, Ms. Blanchard's eyes were fixated on someone else. The handsome man named David Nolan. "You like him?"

"Who me? No, he's married. Oh look, now he's talking to Mr. Winter," she said. "I wonder what they're talking about."

**~O~**

Hartley Winter excused himself momentarily to speak with David Nolan. David was asking if Mr. Winter could come to the house and adjust the airflow of his central air and heating unit. "The upstairs bedrooms are just right while the downstairs is cooler than it should be."

"Is Friday morning acceptable?" Hartley asked.

"Friday morning is fine," David answered. David's eyes kept darting away from Hartley and would descend on Mary Margaret for a few fleeting seconds before returning to Hartley again. Mr. Winter turned his head and noticed who it was David was looking at.

"Aren't you a married man?" he asked David.

"I'm sorry, there is just something about her that I can't get out of my mind," David confided in Hartley. "But please don't tell that to Kathryn."

"My lips are sealed," Hartley replied. "But it's understandable. You find a woman who has perfect hair; porcelain skin; pouty lips; limpid eyes and the voluptuous curves of a goddess, no matter how hard you try you just can't take your eyes off of…"

His voice just trailed off. Now it was David's turn to notice that Hartley was fixated on someone else, Claire Kensington. David just smiled knowingly.

"My apologies, David, I was somewhere else," Hartley said, snapping out of his reverie. "Somewhere nice… and warm… and quite wonderful."

"Why don't you go back to Claire," David told him, "I have to find Kathryn and let her know to expect you on Friday."

**~O~**

While Hartley was speaking with David, Claire started a brief conversation with Ruby. As usual, Ruby wore a slinky outfit consisting of hot pants, sheer leggings, and high heels in bright red and her top was tied off exposing her midriff. "How is it going?" Ruby asked Claire. Ruby was present at the collapsed mine several weeks ago when Claire revealed her interest in Hartley Winter. She had offered to help Claire then and was still amiable to helping now.

"It's great," Claire answered. "I haven't felt this good since Charlie passed."

"So have you two…, y'know?"

"Of course not," Claire answered, scandalized. "We've only been dating two months."

"Oh honey, sometimes I don't wait two minutes," Ruby said with a sly grin. "What's holding you back?"

"I want a long term relationship," Claire reminded Ruby. "Not just a fling. The girls need a good man around the house again."

"They do? Or you do?" Ruby asked seeming to know exactly what was in Claire's heart. The look on the widowed mother's face was like an open book. "We're about the same size. Why don't you borrow some of my clothes? I've got an outfit that never fails."

Claire didn't want to, she preferred that Hartley not think of her as fast. Yet for so many years she had been without the companionship of a good man in her bed. It would be so nice to enjoy that feeling again. The sheer physical and emotional pleasure of a night of unbridled passion. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Great! Come to my place tonight and I'll let you pick out what you want," Ruby offered. "I'll have you looking like a sexy MILF in no time."

Claire blushed shamelessly. This was so unlike her, yet she was enjoying every second of it. Hartley returned to her side. "Are you well? Your cheeks look flushed," he said.

"Who me? Yes. Sorry, it must be the cold weather," Claire answered with a nervous jitter.

"We're inside."

"Are we? Maybe it's getting late. Oh look at the time, almost two in the morning," Claire said trying not to fumble over her words. Her nervous anticipation was getting to her. Having the object of her affection standing right next to her didn't help matters. She asked Tina to fetch her sister.

"The girls need to get some sleep tonight," Claire continued. "And I need to sex…, did I say sex? I meant vex, _wax_, _WASH_, wash some clothes tomorrow, today, something like that. Oh God I must look like a damned fool."

Hartley just chuckled. "Yes, and a most lovely one at that." He kissed her passionately. So passionately Claire almost invited him back to her place for the night. But what would she do about her two girls.

"Ready, Mom?" Tina asked with Vidia in tow.

"NO! Wait, ready for what?"

"To go home?"

"With whom? I mean yes. Yes. I better get going before I do something truly stupid."

"Wait," Hartley asked, "would you like to accompany me to the cinema this Friday evening?"

Claire smiled back. "I would love a good milf. FILM! Oh God." Claire turned several different shades of red. Horrified by her outburst, she grabbed her two girls and slid out of the diner, her head held low and buried in her scarf in pure embarrassment.

Hartley, confused, looked to Granny and asked, "What's a milf?"

"Ruby!" Granny bellowed. "Customer."

* * *

**For those of you who are not familiar with the phrase, MILF is a profane acronym for Mother I'd Like to F***. Any wonder why Claire was so embarrassed?**


	108. Chapter 108

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 3**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Friday night came. The phone rang. It was Hartley Winter. He was calling to take Claire out on a date at the movie theater. After what had happened at Granny's on New Year's Eve she couldn't bear to talk to him.

"I called myself a MILF right to his face. How could I be so stupid?" she kept asking herself in mumbling tones. "He must think I'm a bimbo. A cheap date willing to jump into bed with just anyone."

Claire had already dressed for the occasion, choosing one of Ruby's dresses. Ruby had talked Claire into coming to her place and trying on some clothes. For some reason whenever Claire was around Ruby the waitress could talk the older woman into trying to act sexy. Tonight the mother of two chose a tight, slinky, backless number with thin shoulder straps that went around the neck, a broad and low cut front to accentuate her cleavage and an impossibly short hemline. On her feet were Ruby's four inch stiletto heels. It was Ruby's "never fail" dress, meaning it never failed to get her date into bed.

"Is that what you're wearing?" Vidia asked, stunned. Claire had asked for her opinion. "You're the queen. You can't dress like that. I mean, it's bad enough that you wear those work clothes. This…, this is so _short_. Even Tinker Bell's little green dress isn't that short, and believe me its short." Claire felt pretty much the same way. Every time she moved around in it Claire kept having to pull it down as it felt as though the dress would ride up and show her underwear.

_Maybe this is why it was Ruby's never fail dress_, Claire thought. _Flashing around some peek-a-boo would arouse any man. I don't want to arouse anyone. I want Hartley to like me for who I am, not how fast I can put out._

Claire gave up on the idea entirely and instead curled up in her bed, pulling the covers over her head. She felt utterly foolish for even thinking this might be a good idea and it only amplified her mortification. This was why she refused to answer the phone no matter how many times Mr. Winter called.

Several minutes later, the doorbell rang. He had come to her house. "Mom, your date is here," Tina announced at the doorway to her bedroom.

"Tell him to go away!" Claire replied from under the covers.

"He wants to talk to you," Tina replied. "He says it's important."

Then Vidia appeared in the door and added, "Lord Milori is not leaving until you talk with him."

"He's not Lord Milori," Claire said throwing the covers off. "And he's not James Bond, either. He's just Hartley Winter."

"Will someone please tell me who James Bond is?" Vidia asked, quite exasperated. "Why does everyone keep comparing him to Lord Milori?"

"You used to call him that," Tina told her.

"Me?"

"Hello, Claire," a deep, masculine voice said. "Pardon me for being so forward."

He had come to her bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him. Claire was indignant. _Now he really does think I'm easy._

"May I come in?" he asked in his most disarming voice. "I think we have much to discuss this evening."

She sighed. Claire knew this wasn't going to end without an explanation. She nodded her head and sat up to speak with Hartley, but she kept a big, fluffy pillow between herself and her gentleman caller.

He sat next to her on the edge of the mattress and began with some most disturbing news. "I spoke with Ruby and she explained what happened."

"Eep!" was the sound that slipped from her lips. Claire's eyes became as big as saucers. Her whole body trembled. "I'm not that kind of person, Hartley. I can assure you. Probably just the mood and the drink and, and, and…"

"I would hardly think such vulgar things about you, Claire," he said, cutting her off.

"Well, I'm no bimbo," she replied. "I don't want to have sex with you. I mean…," that sentence just wasn't going to come out right no matter what. "What I mean is…, I don't know what I mean. But I'm not a cheap date."

He smiled at her profound insistence. "Claire, you are not a M…, MI… I can't say the blasted thing, it's just so coarse."

"MILF."

"Yes, thank you. Claire, ever since your husband passed away you have forsaken your own happiness to care for your two daughters. To keep this lovely roof over their heads, put clothes on their backs and place food on the table. It is a most noble sacrifice. You have been selfless beyond measure."

She smiled. _Did he really understand?_

"Two months ago, you took a chance on changing that. You began to act for yourself. Your girls are old enough now to care for themselves in a healthy capacity and it was only natural for you to start looking out for your own well-being. Now perhaps on New Year's Eve the revelry and alcohol had an effect on you, but it is merely your growing desire to satisfy your own needs coming to the fore."

She groaned inwardly. No, he didn't understand.

"So, you think I want to have sex with you? Is that the desire you think I'm trying to satisfy? Is this why you come over, to take advantage of it and have a good time? Well you can leave right now if that is your intent. I will have no such man in my house who wants a good roll in the hay."

Hartley's eyes widened at such an accusation. "No. Not at all. Claire…," he took in a deep breath and took her hand in his, "Claire, I… Claire, I love you."

_Did he just say it?_

"I am in love you. And I possess a deep respect for you," Hartley continued. "How you feel towards me I do not know, but I cannot bring myself to act in such a profoundly boorish way. I would never steal your virtue."

Claire smirked just a bit. "Well, technically I left my virtue in the back of a VW Microbus owned by some boy in my college dorm named Lloyd. He had a strange fascination with Scooby Doo and made up his van too look like the Mystery Machine, but with a mattress in the back and shag carpeting on the walls."

"Uh…, well that's neither here nor there," Hartley replied, desperate to change the subject.

"He was rather odd, actually," she continued. "I'm not exactly sure why I even agreed. Maybe when you're nineteen a Scooby Doo van just looks so cool."

"My dear-."

"Come to think of it, he wasn't very good. I think I may have fallen asleep for a few minutes."

"Claire, please!" he begged. "No more."

"I'm sorry," she answered. "I suppose I'm just nervous."

"There is no need. I shall not violate your trust," Hartley said to her. "What I want is to give you my love, not my…, well let's just say I've never cared much for Scooby Doo. Or the Microbus."

"Before or after Scrappy Doo?"

"Does it really matter?"

Claire felt such relief. Not only did he not think any less of her for what happened, but he actually understood. What a truly wonderful man. "No, it doesn't matter. Can we have that date now?" she asked him.

"Unfortunately, the film has already started," he said. "However, I did bring an alternative."

From his coat pocket he removed three DVD movies he had rented from Lydia's video store. He presented them to her. They were _Dr. No _with Sean Connery_, Sleepless in Seattle _featuring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan_, _and lastly_ The King and I _starring Yul Brenner as the King of Siam. "I wasn't sure what your tastes in films were."

"A James Bond film, a romantic comedy and a musical," she observed. "I do so love a good musical. And Yul Brenner was just perfect for this role."

"Excellent choice. Shall we retire to the parlor and enjoy the movie?"

"Yes, please, but allow me to change." Claire had to explain Ruby and the dress and why she didn't answer his calls this evening.

"Of course," he said. "Although remember, we did share a dance floor while you were in just a robe and my underwear."

"Yes, but we weren't fixated on sex back then," she reminded him.

"Quite right." Hartley left the room so she could change into something far more appropriate. Minutes later she descended the stairs wearing a lovely black dress and matching heels. "You look magnificent," he told her.

Claire blushed at his compliment.

"I hope you don't mind, I had Tina make us some popcorn for the movie," he said.

"Not at all," she said. "I was going to ask her to do the same thing."

Hartley had already inserted the movie into the player prompted the DVD to the very beginning. The two sat on the sofa. While the movie played Hartley put his arm around her shoulders and Claire placed her head on his. She was happy to have found such a darling man. A man very much like her Charlie in this way. He was decent, hardworking and disliked jumping to conclusions about her. Even when she nervously rambled on about her past he was willing to overlook it and declare his love for her. During the film, she looked into his eyes. She found no pretensions hiding behind them. Claire then whispered into his ear, "I love you, too, Hartley."

He responded by leaning over to kiss her affectionately on her forehead. She lay her head on his shoulders once more and they finished watching the movie.

**~O~**

While their mother and her date were downstairs, Tina and Vidia had retreated to their mother's room. It was just large enough for an alcove a book shelf, a television set and two comfortable chairs. The two girls sat and watched _Dr. No_.

In the middle of the film Vidia piped up and asked, "This is James Bond? So why did I compare him to Lord Milori? He's nothing like him."

"Ugh," Tina complained. _This again?_ "Maybe it's one of the other actors." She then had to explain how over the very long run of the movie series the character of James Bond had been played by several actors including Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan. The current James Bond was Daniel Craig.

"Who do you think reminds you most of Lord Milori?" Vidia asked.

Tina sighed. "His name is Hartley Winter. And which Bond actor? Probably Roger Moore. Maybe Pierce Brosnan."

"What about Daniel Craig?"

"Hmm…, no I don't think so."

"Who else did you say played this character?"

"George Lazenby, but he couldn't act. That leaves us with Timothy Dalton, but trust me there is no way that Timothy Dalton could remind anyone of Hartley Winter or Lord what's is name."

"Lord Milori."

"Whatever. Sorry, but no. Dalton and Mr. Winter are just way too different."

"Alright, if you say so."

**~O~**

At the conclusion of their evening, Claire and Hartley stood by the door. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist. They remained there kissing and talking a bit, then kissing again, and talking a bit more.

"Can I see you again tomorrow evening?" she asked him.

He kissed her before answering. "Of course, my love. What shall we do? Watch a movie, go dancing or attend the theater?"

She kissed him in return as a preface to her reply. "Dinner and dancing would be wonderful."

He pressed his lips against hers. "Excellent, dearest, I shall be here tomorrow at shall we say, six thirty?"

"I'll be waiting with anticipation," she replied before kissing him goodnight.

"Tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow."

They shared one last kiss before exiting. When he was gone Claire leaned up against the door and sighed. She had indeed found her perfect man.

* * *

**This ought to keep you Milarion fans out there happy until the Valentine's Day episode. Thanks for reading. Please leave a review.**


	109. Chapter 109

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 4**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Ever since Vidia recovered her one memory of Valerie and felt the embrace of family, Claire had spent more time with her. Quality time, she called it. Whether it was shopping, teaching Vidia how to do chores, use the vacuum cleaner or helping her learn to use the computer Claire felt as though she was given a second chance to relive Valerie's childhood. To bond with her daughter in a way she never could the first time. Today, it was time for Vidia to learn how to drive.

"Did you read that manual I gave you?" Claire asked.

"Yes, twice," Vidia answered. "Though I'm not sure what half of it meant."

"Today, it will all make sense," Claire answered. They were sitting in the minivan, Claire in the driver's seat and Vidia in the front passenger. Claire showed Vidia all of the primary controls. The accelerator pedal, the brake, gear shift, left and right turn signals and more. She explained what each did and how it should be used.

"When you're driving, make sure to look into your rear view mirrors every few seconds so you know who is behind you and to your sides," Claire said. "When driving it is important to keep your head on a swivel."

"A swivel?"

"You must always be aware of your surroundings."

"That I can do."

Claire chose today for the first lesson because Monday the Christmas Break would end and everyone's normal routine would resume. She took Vidia on a drive, pointing out and describing all of the intersection lights and street signs they came across and the rules of the road. "Always look both ways even if you have the green light. You never know when someone ignores the rules or just doesn't see the changing light."

"Okay."

"It's called defensive driving, sweetheart," Claire said. "It's so you don't get hurt by someone else's carelessness. I lost you once, I can't bear to lose you again."

Vidia paused as she processed that for a moment. Vidia was still trying to recover the memories of all the fairies in Storybrooke. She had "lost" them once and needed to "find" them and soon.

"I'll be careful," she said.

When the drive was over, Claire pulled over and offered to let Vidia a chance behind the wheel. She chose a part of town with very little traffic for her first time driving. Before the lesson had begun Vidia said that she knew something about driving. She used to watch Dr. Griffiths operate his horseless carriage. She did admit that the minivan was far more complex than his century old driving machine.

"His didn't have cruise control or air conditioning," she said. "Or automatic transmission." Then she mentioned something about operating a racer in the Pixie Hollow Games. "Once we became aware of the horseless carriage, the tinkers devised racers for us to use in the games."

"And how did you do," Claire asked, resigning herself to the fact that Valerie would forever keep tossing out absurd nuggets like this.

"The fast flyers won twice," Vidia said.

"I'm proud of you, dear," Claire said, not knowing exactly what the heck Valerie was talking about.

Vidia quietly went through her checklist including seatbelts, mirrors, making seat adjustments and looking both ways. She kept her hands at ten and two on the steering wheel and then pressed the brake pedal and put the van into gear. Vidia nudged the minivan up to speed.

Claire began to smile. Although Vidia was taking it cautious she seemed to be grasping the skill quite nicely. When a car shot in front of them Claire yelled for Vidia to stop. Vidia responded by hitting the gas pedal rather than the brake.

"STOP! STOP! The other pedal!"

Vidia remembered which one and mashed down the brake pedal bringing the van to a screeching halt. Vidia looked down and saw that Claire's arm and hand was across her chest.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, force of habit, dear. When you were growing up I always did that whenever I had to stop suddenly," Claire said. "Mothers do that to keep their children safe. Okay, let's try that again."

Once again Vidia moved the car forward with the gas pedal. She maintained her hands on the steering wheel and kept glancing into her mirrors every few seconds. Vidia slowed down a bit at every intersection and looked left and right for oncoming traffic and making a note to be ready in case another idiot saw fit to shoot out in front of her.

For a full hour Vidia drove the minivan around, her confidence growing with each passing minute. Claire regularly quizzed her about street signs and rules of the road when it was appropriate. "Who proceeds first at a four way stop? When do you stop at a yield sign? What is the speed limit for residential streets?"

At first it unnerved Vidia to have to answer so many questions while trying to concentrate on driving. Claire reminded her, though, that driving was one, long quiz each time she drove. "You have to be mindful of these things or you'll get a ticket or have an accident."

When the lesson was complete, Claire allowed Vidia to drive home down the main street. She asked her to pull in to the gas station and then showed her to pump her own fuel. When the two arrived home both Vidia and Claire were genuinely excited at the younger woman's accomplishment. Claire gave her girl a big hug and congratulated her on doing so well today. "You were wonderful, sweetheart," she said to Valerie. "Now, we need to keep practicing. Driving has to become second nature, sort of like walking."

"Right. And that can only happen with practice."

"Exactly."

**~O~**

A now familiar vehicle was parked in the driveway. "Oh, I see Penny is here," Claire observed.

Tina and Penny decided to spend the weekend together. Tina and her family were together for most of the two week Christmas break. Tina and her new best friend exchanged gifts and spend New Year's Eve together at Town Hall, but otherwise were never able to meet up for very long. With school starting again on Monday the two girls decided a couple of days together all to themselves would be fun.

"So what have you two girls been up to today?" Claire asked.

"Oh, you know…," Tina began.

"…the usual. Surfing the net…," Penny continued.

"…looking on YouTube…," Tina added.

"…for stuff about Vidia," Penny finished.

They were doing it again. Finishing each other sentences. Claire kept looking back and forth like watching a table tennis match. It happened so fast that she thought she might get a crick in her neck.

"Huh? Me?" Vidia asked. "How could you find anything about me?"

"The internet," Tina said.

"You can find just about anything there," Penny added.

Vidia had been told about the internet. She still could not wrap her brain around the concept. Actually, she was still trying to understand the computer. And the iPod. Even her Kindle eReader baffled her to no end. _How can you fit all those books in this little thing?_ she kept muttering.

Claire sat down next to the two girls who were at the dining room table. Penny's laptop was in front of them. "What did you find?" Claire asked.

"Oh, there are some short videos," Penny announced.

"Yeah, and they are so much fun," Tina finished.

"We found one where she gives Tinker Bell a hard time about a garden gnome," Penny started again.

"Yeah, and Vidia winds up with a mouse knocking her out of the air," Tina finished.

"The mouse's name is Cheese, by the way," Penny added.

"The mouse's name is Cheese?" Claire asked. "Oh right, just like in the first movie."

"Exactly," the two girls said together.

"Jinx!" Tina yelled first. "You owe me a soda."

"How could you know about that?" Vidia asked, looking pained at recalling that unpleasant memory.

"Oh yeah, and there was another one where Vidia is having a nightmare," Tina started.

"Uh huh. She's acting all nice and helpful to everyone."

"Then she wakes up with a fright."

"Because she just can't stand being nice to anyone."

Both girls started giggling. Tina then whispered to Penny, "Kind of like when Valerie had her period. She was so nice and helpful to everyone."

"What? Really? Why didn't you call me?"

"Not funny!" Vidia yelled. "Mom, make them stop. Did I just say that?"

Claire didn't say anything. Vidia turned and noticed that Claire was trying to stifle a laugh.

"Oh great!" Vidia grumbled.

"It's just what sisters do, sweetie," Claire finally said. "They irritate each other. It's called sibling rivalry. It happens all the time."

"Tink and Peri never did that," Vidia said. "They always got along."

"That's not normal," Tina said. "You always played tricks on me."

"Yes, dear," Claire said to Vidia. "Once, when Tina was still very little you put a sign out front trying to sell your little sister."

"You tried to sell your own sister?" Penny said, shocked.

"I don't remember that," Vidia said. "Wait, that wasn't even me."

"That's okay," Tina said. "I can always put you up for sale on eBay."

"Now that's enough, Tina," Claire scolded. "It was funny then because Valerie was very young and jealous that I was giving you so much attention. It's not funny now that you are both grown."

"I was just kidding," Tina replied.

"Yeah, Craigslist is so much better," Penny replied. Tina cracked up laughing.

"Okay, okay. Have your little fun at my expense," Vidia grumbled. "I'm going to my room."

"Wait, we have an even better video of you," Tina announced.

"It's only in animatic form," Penny said, "but it's hilarious."

"Animatic?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, meaning it's just a bunch of sketches with scratch voice work so the animators can get a sense of what is going to happen before it's fully rendered," Tina explained.

"The movie it's attached to is the fifth _Tinker Bell_ film in the series. That film is still early in production, but I do know it has something to do with pirates," Penny continued.

"You've got to see this, Mom. Every time Penny and I watch it we just can't stop laughing."

"Okay, dear."

Vidia, who was curious, also stepped up to watch this video of her and the pirates. Vidia had a sneaking suspicion it was the incident when Zarina stole the blue pixie dust and became the captain of a pirate ship. Penny started the playback. What Vidia saw was a series of simple sketches and voices showing Vidia and Tinker Bell at a beach. Tink finds pirate treasure, but Vidia doesn't care and is irritated that Tink won't leave her alone to tan. Just then, a pirate chest washes ashore, gobbles her up and is carried back out to sea by the current.

Inside the chest, Vidia is subjected to one near death experience after another. She is thrown about inside, chomped on by a human skull, then caught inside a pocket watch, is nearly skewered by sewing pins, splatted against the wall of the chest by water shooting through the keyhole and is then nearly squished by an empty bottle of rum. The chest then deposits her back on the beach in a heap.

"Come on, Vidia, a little pirate treasure isn't going to hurt," Tinker Bell exclaims.

"You don't know that, Tink!" Vidia shouts back, right before being gobbled up by the treasure chest a second time. "DAAAH!" Chomp!

As the short ends, Tina and Penny are in fits of hysterics. Vidia is both confused that anyone would know about that event, and furious that Tina and Penny are having such a good time at her expense. "That's not funny!"

"Yes it was," Tina said, still laughing. "Play it again, Penny."

"No! It's not funny when you've lived through it like I have," Vidia protested a second time. Then she noticed that Claire was shaking. She had turned her head, but it was obvious she was laughing just as much as the two girls. Vidia, angry that everyone had turned against her, stormed up the stairs.

"Oh, honey, we're just having a little fun," Claire said, trying to soothe Vidia's bruised ego.

The girl just slammed the door shut and resolved to spend the day there, brooding. Vidia always missed being a fairy, but now she missed the freedom of flight. As a fast flyer she could go aloft and get away from her misery. Being cooped up in this house, with no means of flying, or driving, she felt trapped. Vidia started punching the pillow on her bed. Then she buried her face into it and started screaming at the top of her lungs.

Downstairs, Tina leaned over and whispered to Penny, "We need to make it up to her later."

"How?"

"Well, she likes to go fast, so something that involves speed."

"I have just the thing," Penny replied, "but I'll need your help."

"What are we going to do?"

Penny began describing her plan. It was simple, but utterly devious.

"Ooh, I love it," Tina said, practically salivating. "Let's get started. I'll get some paper so we can begin with the designs."

* * *

**So what are Tina and Penny up to? Find out in the next chapter.**


	110. Chapter 110

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 5**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia had spent most of the afternoon in her room. She had been humiliated by Tina and Penny. Worst of all, Claire laughed along with them. The flyer felt as if she had been ganged up on. After an hour of sulking or so, she decided not to let them get the better of her. She had been taught how to use the television by Claire and began flipping through different channels looking for something that would entertain her. Eventually Vidia came across a program that caught her attention.

As afternoon turned to evening, Vidia started feeling the emptiness in her stomach and slipped out of her room to eat dinner. From the hallway Vidia heard Claire in her room. She knocked on the door and found that her mother had just finished dressing. "What are you wearing?"

Claire had donned blue jeans, a red and black tartan flannel shirt, boots and some kind of belt with an oversized buckle. On the bed was an absurd looking hat with the sides of the brim curled up. "Oh, hello, dear. I'm sorry again for laughing earlier," Claire said with an easy smile. She then explained to Vidia that Hartley was taking her dancing tonight. They were going to a place called a Honky Tonk where they played country-western music.

"What kind of music?" Vidia asked completely unaware of this genre.

"You would have to hear it to understand," was all Claire could say as a description. Claire then put the hat on her head and asked, "Well? What do you think?"

"Uh? I don't know."

"I'm going for a cowgirl look."

"Is that what they wear?"

"I suppose."

"Then I guess that's it."

The two women descended the stairs and found Tina and Penny hunched over the dining room table giggling and drawing up something. Several papers were crumpled up on the floor and the wastebasket was overflowing.

"What are you girls up to?" Claire asked.

"Oh nothing, Mom," Tina replied.

"Yeah, we were just designing a downhill racer," Penny answered.

Tina glared at Penny. "What are you doing?" she mouthed.

"Trust me," Penny mouthed back.

"A downhill racer?" Claire asked.

"Uh…, yeah," Tina replied tentatively.

"It's to help Tina understand her math homework better," Penny added. Tina had begun the semester in Trigonometry due to a clerical error, a class for which she was not fully prepared. Once the mistake was discovered the girl was moved to Geometry. She was a little behind in that class due to the misplacement. However, Penny had done wonders for helping her grasp the concepts. Tina told Claire that she felt more confident going into the second semester thanks to Penny's help.

This was partly true. Penny had indeed improved Tina's comprehension of the material. Far beyond where she had been before the two met. However, the intent of the downhill racer wasn't for the class, but for a certain older sister. They were going to make up for their earlier humiliation by tormenting her in their own, unique way.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Tina. Is it really helping?"

"Absolutely," Tina replied, an angelic look on her face. Then both Penny and Tina looked at each other and had to stifle laughs so they wouldn't give away their true intentions.

Claire handed Vidia some money and a paper menu. "Honey, you're in charge tonight. This is so you can order pizza for dinner." The two younger girls instantly became excited at the mere mention of the word "pizza."

"What's pizza? And how do I bring it? I can't drive yet."

Tina and Penny were totally dumbstruck that Valerie did not know what pizza was. Claire explained that a store in town would deliver the order. She pointed to the phone number on the menu. "Now, any other questions?"

"Yeah. What's Gonzo?"

"What, dear?"

"What's Gonzo? I was watching this program on television. Kermit is a frog, Miss Piggy is a pig, Fozzie is a bear, but what is Gonzo?"

Instantly the other three knew what she was talking about. _The Muppet Show_, a half hour variety show that aired in the late 1970's into the 1980's and created by Jim Henson. Claire answered saying that Gonzo was an alien.

"What?! No he's not!" Penny shot back, clearly disturbed that anyone would preach such blasphemy. Penny was one of many fans who openly denounced the sixth film in the series, _Muppets From Space,_ and publically divorced it from official canon. She and others like her preferred the description from _The Great Muppet Caper_ in which Gonzo's airline case was simply labelled "Whatever." They believed, and quite strongly in fact, that this mystery was a large part of Gonzo's charm.

"Oh yes he is!" Tina shot back. Penny was aghast. Her best friend in the whole world, the one person who understood her, who thought as she did, had suddenly turned against her. Horrors. "How else do you explain his oddball behavior, the curved beak nose and his undying love for Camilla the Chicken? He is definitely an alien."

Betrayal! Treason! Turncoat! Tina had committed all these sins in Penny's eyes. Disagreements were aplenty in any friendship, but this! Such departure of opinion on what was clearly a passionate issue for Penny was intolerable.

Suddenly, the giggling, snickering girls burst into arguments and accusations of heresy. Gonzo was most assuredly not alien, Penny confirmed.

Yes he was. _Muppets From Space_ proved it to be true, Tina argued. Penny countered that _Muppets From Space_ was made after the Henson family had lost all control over the property and thus had no place among the finer Muppet movies. Tina responded by saying that the film was produced, released and distributed, therefore it was truth of character.

Claire sighed as this went on and on and on. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said, apologizing to Vidia for leaving her with this mess on her first watch. Claire then yanked the menu for the pizza delivery from her hands and gave her the menu for Chinese food delivery in its place. "Trust me, dear, this will go over much easier tonight. Nothing is more divisive than pizza toppings."

Penny raised her voice, Tina responded by raising her voice.

"Maybe." The haggard mother stepped between the two arguing opponents and tried to calm them down. "Girls, girls. You are friends. Each of you shares so much in common with the other. Your love of math, designing race car things, conspiring and surfing the internet to annoy Tina's sister. Now I'm sure you can both agree to disagree over this small matter."

"No!" Tina said sharply.

"Absolutely not!" Penny replied. They each turned their backs to each other.

Seeing this Vidia remembered how Tinker Bell and Periwinkle used to put their wings together and a bright light would erupt revealing them as sisters.

"Oh come now, Tina. Why break up a perfectly good friendship over a movie?" Claire asked her daughter.

Tina just harrumphed and then called Penny a false friend. Penny called Tina a heretic in response and stuck out her tongue at the blonde.

"Now that's enough from both of you," Claire reprimanded them. Just then the doorbell rang indicating Hartley Winter had come calling to take Claire on their date that evening. "You two better make up by the time I get back. Is that clear?"

Neither girl said a word. They each simply glared at the other for a moment before turning away and stomping their feet in disgust.

"Oh now that's it. I'm staying right here until this is resolved," Claire announced.

"No! I can take care of this," Vidia pronounced. "You go on your date with Lord Milori and I'll straighten them out, one way or another."

"Are you sure you can handle them?" Claire asked her.

"Oh, I've dealt with them for a long time," Vidia answered. "This is cupcakes."

"Piece of cake," Claire said, correcting the girl.

"You eat what you like, I'll eat what I like. Now off with you." Vidia started pushing Claire out the door. "Don't worry, don't even think about us, everything will be fine when you get home."

Claire still worried, but the confident tone Vidia projected allowed her to relax enough to leave the young woman in charge. She and Milori went to the Honky Tonk and enjoyed their date while Vidia tried to repair this fracturing friendship. "It's just a stupid puppet!" she hollered.

"MUPPET!" the two girls yelled in unison. Vidia waited for them to say "jinx." It never came.

"Okay, you two, now stop this and I mean now!" Vidia said, metaphorically putting her foot down. Both Tina and Penny shot her the raspberry. Vidia soldiered on. "Tinker Bell, you and Periwinkle are sisters. Born of the same laugh and you each share a bond I'll never know."

Tina looked hurt. "You're my sister, Val" she said. "Don't you remember?"

Finally, progress. "Oh really? Then who put the spider webs in your bath two weeks after you returned from your first visit to the mainland? They tangled up your wings for two whole days."

"Huh?" Tina and Penny stared at each other, perplexed by this strange admission. "Uh, are you talking about the time you put peanut oil in the shampoo bottle?" The little blonde explained to Penny that it took a week of bathing just to get the oily residue out of her hair and scalp. And she smelled like peanuts for a month afterwards. One of her schoolmates even had an allergic reaction to it. Tina had never seen a face swell up so much in her life. The poor boy looked like a small body with a giant, hairy peach for a head.

"Never mind. Okay, I can prove it." Vidia instructed them to stand back to back. Since they were already facing away from each other they pretty much already were. "No, I mean stand right up against each other." Tina and Penny shot Vidia confused looks. Vidia explained the meaning of the gesture and the secret of the wings.

"We don't have wings," Tina protested.

"Yeah. You me to press against her?" Penny asked seeking clarification.

"With my butt rubbing against hers?" Tina continued.

"EWWW!" they both said. "What a weirdo."

"Yeah, it's like she's some kind of alien," Penny derided.

"Kind of like Gonzo is an alien," Tina added. And so began to the second half of the argument over Gonzo's status as an alien or not an alien. Vidia sighed, all that work for nothing. She tried gamely to regain control of the situation but the arguing escalated onto yelling and then to screaming and finally to hurtful comments that ended when Penny yelled, "You are so mean. I never want to see you ever again!" right before she ran out the door crying. Tina screamed her head off in disgust as she ran up the stairs and slammed the door to her room in a fit of anger.

Vidia just groaned. She slumped into a dining room chair and plopped her head on the table. "Ow!" she commented, her nose having broken the fall.

How had their friendship collapsed so easily? They were sisters. Claire did mention that sisters did annoy each other here in the human world. Perhaps being humans and under this curse Tink and Peri were acting more like humans than themselves. Given a little time they might come to realize just how foolish they were acting. And if that didn't work there was always shoving them together to make her point about their wings.

The exasperated fast flyer opened her eyelids. Her face was lying directly on the Chinese Food menu for delivery. She read the menu item directly in front of the bridge of her nose.

"Moo Goo Gai Pan? What the heck is that?"

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Your feedback is always appreciated.**


	111. Chapter 111

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 6**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Ned, you're late," Hartley Winter scolded. "Today of all days we cannot afford to be behind schedule."

Hartley had every right to be worried. The next twenty four to forty eight hours were going to be sticky for the residents of Storybrooke. The sky was threatening. The temperature was dropping, clouds had moved in, the wind was picking up and the occasional rumbling of thunder could be heard in the distance. The morning weather report specifically mentioned a strong thunderstorm would be coming to town the next day. It would bring with it heavy rains, driving winds and frequent lightning. Everyone in the city including Hartley Winter was scurrying to get as much done before it hit.

Ned jumped into the company van. Both men were dressed in cold weather clothing over their coveralls and thermal wear under them. "Sorry," Ned replied. "Dee wanted to ring in the New Year again this morning. Twice, actually."

"First, the new year is well underway," Hartley said, a hint of anger present in his tone. "Second, I do not wish to hear any sordid details of your relationship with Ms. Collingsworth."

Ned and Desiree had moved quickly from simple dating to having regular sex. In fact, Ned was spending more time at her large Colonial Revival home than at his own apartment. He had recently suggested moving in with her, but she casually dismissed it saying it was too early to talk about such things. This was right before having more sex.

Hartley found their behavior most distasteful. He declared that the newer generation was too obsessed with physical intimacy and put little emphasis on romance, true love and emotional intimacy. He even cited his own courtship of Claire Kensington as a proper model.

"You mean you haven't had sex with her yet?" Ned asked, chuckling. "What was all that MILF stuff New Year's Eve?"

"Claire and I do not discuss such things in public," Hartley countered indignantly. "But if you must know it was a misunderstanding. We are not engaged in a physical relationship. How we feel about each other is far more important than how we feel against each other's skin."

"What are you? A Jedi?"

Hartley scowled. "I am a proper gentleman."

"Have it your way. Me? I'm having fun. We both are."

The object of a relationship was not fun, Hartley instructed. Love, romance and happiness were. Those can only be accomplished through patience, respect and dedication. Ned complained that it all sounded like too much hard work.

"Perhaps, but true love is lasting and considerably more fulfilling." Hartley turned on the heater in the van to full blast and then put the van in gear, driving towards their first appointment. "Have you ever considered that perhaps Ms. Collingsworth is merely using you for her own purposes?"

"I'm more than happy to be her nightly entertainment. Besides, she's just living out her fantasies. Dee has a huge collection of romance novels and now she gets to live out what she's been reading." Desiree's proclivities veered more towards the adventuresome side, much to the chagrin of her house cleaning service who had to clean up afterwards. "They're still trying to figure out how we cracked the kitchen countertops."

"Enough! That is far too much and it borders on the indecent. I will say this, however. When she has finished with you and you have found yourself evicted and replaced by the next square jawed plaything that crosses her path, do not come to me for sympathy. You shall not receive any," Hartley warned.

"Don't worry, I won't," Ned replied with a devil may care smile. Hartley sighed despondently just as they drove up to the local coffee house for a cup of hot coffee and their first appointment.

**~O~**

Elsewhere, at about the same time, the tall visitor to Storybrooke had stopped in front of Mayor Mills' house. Henry, dressed in a warm jacket and scarf, walked out to the curb to speak with him.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked.

"I'm fixing my bike," the stranger replied. Indeed, he was using a tool to make a minor repair to his motorcycle. Henry asked about the box secured to the back of his motorcycle. The stranger gave only a cryptic answer, saying that it was what he needed for what he was doing in Storybrooke. Henry thought he was just visiting. The stranger replied that he still had something to do here.

Regina Mills saw Henry talking to the tall stranger. The man finished his repair. Just before roaring off on his bike, the man told Henry to get on to school, warning him that a storm was coming.

**~O~**

Mary Margaret ran up the steps of Granny's Diner. She arrived at 7:14 a.m., just in time. The schoolteacher had awoken late this morning and rushed out, telling her roommate Emma Swan that she had to get to the school to help her students with a volcano they were building for a class project.

What she was actually doing was waiting for David to arrive. Mary Margaret sat at a table with her back against the door. She grabbed a book and used a spoon as a mirror to fix her hair. That was when she saw David enter the diner. She opened the book and pretended to read as David Nolan ordered two coffees to go.

On his way out, he saw Mary Margaret and they shared a brief conversation and a laugh. When he went back outside he handed one coffee to his wife, Kathryn and gave her kiss. Watching this made Mary Margaret's heart sink.

"This is building a volcano?"

Mary Margaret swung around. Sheriff Swan had followed her from the house. Emma told Mary Margaret that she was acting like a stalker. "No I'm not," Ms. Blanchard replied. Then she rattled off his entire daily schedule for the week, including when he came for coffee, went to work, had lunch, got off work and went home. She even knew that on Thursdays David and Kathryn had Chinese food for dinner.

"I _am_ a stalker," Mary Margaret said with stunned realization. "How did you know?"

Emma checked off all of the little things Mary Margaret did differently now that tipped her off. "When I first met you, you were a top button sort of gal."

Ms. Blanchard quickly became aware that the top buttons of her sweater were now open. Blanchard finally had to admit that she came to Granny's every morning at 7:15 just to see David as he came in for coffee. No matter how hard she tried, the school teacher just couldn't get him out of her mind. Emma reminded her roommate that David was still very married and that the first step in putting David out of her mind was not coming to the diner each morning to see him.

Mary Margaret sighed, wishing that there was a magic spell to stop her from loving him.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The night was as dark as it could be. A lone figure in a small boat glided across the waters towards a pier. Mist blocked the view of the distant shore until it was very close. The person coming to this place was Snow White. She had learned from her friend Red that Prince James still intended to marry Princess Abigail. Snow couldn't get James out of her thoughts and out of her heart so Red directed her here. To a man with such dark powers that he could accomplish almost anything. Red could only whisper his name, though, as it struck such fear into people's hearts.

As soon as Snow White moored her little boat she was greeted by someone. "How much for this?"

She turned and saw a horrid looking man with a sinister grin sitting in the very craft she had just exited. Somehow he had managed to get by her without being seen. Quickly she deduced who he was. Rumpelstiltskin. The Dark One. The wizard Red had told her about.

Snow asked for something special. She was in love with a man she could not have. Rumple reminded her that he could not make a person fall in love. "I don't want to make him fall in love with me," she said. Quite the opposite. Snow wanted to not love him anymore.

Now that was a horse of a different color. Rumpelstiltskin took a small flask from his coat and filled it with lake water. He held it aloft and with a flick of his wrist it turned cloudy and white. Then he pulled a single strand of her hair and imbued the water with her essence. Any potion needed to counteract love had to be personal.

This small flask contained exactly what she needed. Drink it and Snow would forget everything about the man she loved, but could not be with. Snow remarked that it seemed rather extreme. Love, he told her, was the most powerful magic of all and could cause the greatest pain. The antidote thus had to be just as extreme.

She knew from Red that Rumple didn't work for free. He always wanted something in return for his services. Yet she was surprised and baffled when all he asked for was her strand of hair.

"Why do you need that?" she asked.

"What do you care now that it's been plucked from your head?" he replied with his toothy smile and sinister laugh. Snow agreed to his terms and took the flask with her. She now had the means to live without the pain of separation. The fact that she would not remember one thing about Prince James ever again gave her pause, though. It was indeed a most extreme solution.

**~O~**

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

The second visit to the mainland didn't have the same newness as the first, but Periwinkle was still excited about bringing winter. Once again the city streets were decorated for the holidays and they looked twice as nice after the winter fairies dropped their cargo upon the city. Snowflakes fell throughout the mainland covering everything in a lovely white blanket which glistened in the moonlight or from the glow when a fairy drew near.

Periwinkle and her friends frosted the lawns, trees, shrubs and anything else they could find. The glacier fairies turned the streets to ice, made icicles hang from eaves, overhangs and branches and froze the local ponds, brooks and streams. When morning came, the human children all dressed in their warmest clothes darted out into the cold winter air and proceeded to enjoy the snowy environment. Snowball fights, building snowmen and skating on the frozen ponds were daily rituals performed by the humans, much to Periwinkle's delight.

Winter Fairies lived in a world that was blanketed in white year round. Their clothing was usually limited to a palette of pale blues, greys, whites and blacks. The most common color outside of white and blue was the green of the evergreen trees and what little grass and shrubbery grew there. This was why Periwinkle was so fascinated with the warm seasons. They had so many wonderful colors. Hues they didn't have on their side of the border.

It was also a reason she so loved the human world. She was enthralled by the glorious reds, silver, golds, yellows, purples and oranges that played a major role in the celebration of Christmas. These brilliant colors, along with the greens of the holly strung on the street corners and the pine trees used as Christmas decorations, were a welcome departure from the stale blankness of her home. Sometimes, she wished she could stay here all year long.

Of course, that was not to be. Once their task was done it was time to return to their blank, white world. Periwinkle had enlivened it with fun, but there was still very little color. She was almost heartbroken when the day came that the winter fairies gathered for the return trip to Never Land. She was desperate to bring back anything she could with her as a reminder. Like last time Peri went off on her own to look for any scraps of colorful paper or ornament she could take with her. It didn't take long before her arms were full.

She called on her friends, Spike and Gliss to help. Gliss was excited to assist, but Spike, as usual, had to point out the problem with this plan. "Uh, what is Lord Milori going to say when he sees all of this?"

"He's not," Peri replied. "As soon as we get home I'm taking it to my place."

"And what do you intend to do with it?" Spike asked.

"Decorate my home," said Periwinkle. "So it won't look so drab."

"Oh oh oh! Can I bring some for me, too?" Gliss asked, quite enthusiastically. "I want to live with color, too."

Spike quite properly pointed out that as soon as someone saw what was on their walls, it would become gossip. Once it became gossip, everyone would know about it. Once everyone knew about it, Lord Milori would know about it. "So tell me again how you're going to keep this a secret?"

Periwinkle sighed. She knew Spike was correct. Putting these things up for display would only invite others to talk about it in public. If Lord Milori wasn't very happy about her new ice skating, then how would he react to all these colorful trinkets she wanted to bring back?

Then Spike dropped the other shoe. "Y'know, I'm sure everyone will want their own wall of color. Then what? Are you going to give them everything you have? What if everyone brought stuff back from the mainland and asked you to make something for them? We would never get any work done. Winter would never come on time. This is a bad idea, Peri. I know how you feel, but we have to look at what might happen after you bring these things back to the Winter Woods."

The little frost talent sighed as she dropped her pile of trinkets. They glittered gloriously in the gaslight of the street lamp. Tears welled up in her eyes and her face turned a shade of red. "I just… I just want to stop looking at four white walls," Peri said. "I want to live with the same colors that the warm fairies do. What's so wrong with that?"

Periwinkle knelt down at her cache of colorful goods. She picked up one piece of broken ornament and looked at it. Her sad face appeared in the reflective, red surface. She moved it around in her hands and it gleamed whenever the light hit it just right. Next to it was a smaller piece of yellow ornament atop of an orange one. She had a strand of silver tinsel and small piece of purple wrapping paper. They were all so beautiful, so eye catching, so different.

Gliss turned to look at Spike. She had a heartfelt look on her face. Periwinkle was a close friend and she sympathized with her sadness. "What if she took a few small pieces and kept them in her drawers? Then she could look at them whenever she wanted to see colors?"

Spike grumbled and hemmed and hawed. This was still a bad idea. Maybe. Or not. "Okay, but nothing too big."

Periwinkle launched herself into the air, excited beyond belief. "Oh thank you, Spike." The little frost fairy gave her friend a huge hug of gratitude before gathering up all her pieces and selecting what she wanted. Spike figured out how to carefully break the larger pieces of the ornaments into small ones so they could be easily hidden in Peri's clothing. Gliss wrapped two strands of tinsel around her waist like a belt and Spike stuck the wrapping paper into her boots.

"Okay. Everyone ready?" she asked. Periwinkle and Gliss nodded. Everything was hidden in their clothing. "When morning comes, we act natural going home. As soon as we're clear we go to Periwinkle's house and drop off everything. Peri, keep everything you've taken and hide it from view. No one can ever see this. Is that understood?"

"Yes. I understand." Peri sighed. She was going to bring home the colors she loved so dearly, but she wouldn't be able to display them like she wanted. It was a necessary, but somewhat unpleasant compromise. She hoped that one day it would be possible to decorate her walls with all the colors she wanted. She hoped that day would soon.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this next chapter. Please leave a review. **

**Author's note: Sled's comment about Hartley being a Jedi is a reference to Matt Lanter. Lanter, who voiced Sled in _The Secret of the Wings_, was also the voice of Anakin Skywalker in the CGI television series _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_.**


	112. Chapter 112

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 7**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret was desperate to get David Nolan out of her head… and her heart. So she immediately went for the nuclear option: Chocolate. After school Ms. Blanchard went to the pharmacy and placed into her hand-held shopping basket a gigantic bar of chocolate. It was so huge it didn't even fit inside the wire mesh basket. While deciding if she should buy two, Mary Margaret accidentally collided with David Nolan's wife Kathryn. Both spilled out what they were buying. When Mary Margaret knelt down to help Kathryn recover he lost goods she noticed that among her purchases was a pregnancy test.

Were the Nolan's expecting a child? If so it would put David further out of Mary Margaret's reach and it gave the schoolteacher another reason to stay away from him. It also broke her heart. A child would erase any hope that she and David might ever be together in the future.

Regina Mills, the mayor, watched the entire collision unfold. When Kathryn went to the register Regina walked right up to Mary Margaret and told her to respect the Nolan's privacy and be discreet. "This is none of your business."

**~O~**

"Get what's on that list as fast as you can, girls," Claire instructed her two daughters. The local meteorologist was predicting a strong storm with frequent lightning and possibly damaging winds. She wanted to be prepared. On her list were things like candles, matches, a large first aid kit, flashlights and batteries, and several bags of block ice. There were also items such as toilet paper, bath tissue, paper plates and plastic utensils, as well as fresh fruits and canned meals like spaghetti and ravioli. Claire had a reasonable expectation that the power in her neighborhood or the whole city might go out. She also expected that were it happen they would be without power for only about two or three days max and bought only what was necessary. The refrigerator was electric, so the block ice was to keep perishables cold inside an insulated cooler. Block ice melted slower than crushed ice and would last longer. Since gas and water were likely to continue to work she would still be able to cook on the stove.

"Do we really need all of this," Vidia asked.

"Yes, dear," said Claire. "I've lived through storms like these. It is always best to think ahead."

"Well, it's not like we don't know how to live without electrical power," Vidia replied. "Pixie Hollow has never had electricity. It's never bothered us before."

"Then how did you, I mean we, cook foods and heat water?" Tina asked sarcastically.

"Wood burning stoves," Vidia said. "And the water fairies can heat water. It's part of their talent."

"We don't have that here, sweetie," Claire replied as they moved to the checkout line at the supermarket. "So we'll just have to make do with fresh peaches and cans of Chef Boyardee."

During the drive home Vidia suggested bringing Penny over during the storm so she wouldn't be alone. Claire loved the idea, but Tina shot it down immediately. Tina still held a grudge against the other girl for their disagreement over Gonzo from the Muppets. This frustrated Vidia immensely. Ever since the spat broke up the friendship she and Claire had been trying to reunite them, but to no avail.

Vidia insisted that Tina and Penny were sisters born of the same laugh, but that only made Tina pout. The little blonde felt like Valerie was turning her back on her own little sister. Vidia eventually gave up on that approach for the moment and tried instead simply to rekindle the friendship. She was no further along now as she was the night Penny ran out of the house in tears.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

A joyous feast and celebration were being held in Prince James' honor to celebrate his upcoming wedding to Princess Abigail. However, he did not seem to be in a joyous mood. Instead, the prince watched from the window of his private chambers and stared longingly into the night sky. A figure of loneliness amidst cheery music and revelry.

King George noticed this immediately and went to him. The king was concerned, he knew that for this union to succeed James had to give his heart to Abigail. However, it was obvious that James' heart was with someone else.

George reminded James of his duty. This marriage would save the kingdom and the people who lived there. The King's realm was out of money. Abigail was the daughter of none other than King Midas, the man who could turn anything to gold. With all the gold Midas could provide, George's kingdom could be well fed for eternity.

"Who is she?" the king asked James. The prince told his adopted father that it was a woman he met once on a journey. George reminded James that he was a royal now and that as a royal he had a terrible burden placed upon him. What he was doing was for the good of the kingdom. For David, now masquerading as his dead brother James, such duties and obligations were new to him and difficult to reconcile with this simple sheep herder's upbringing. For George, who grew up a royal, this was old hat.

"Do whatever it takes to get that woman out of your head," King George ordered, "because nothing is going to stop this wedding."

The moment King George left the room James penned a letter to Snow White, wrapped it around the leg of a dove and sent it out to find his beloved Snow.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret had decided to take herself for a walk. She needed to get away from David and clear her head. She had bundled up against the cold weather which included a heavy jacket, scarf, thick socks and hiking boots. The clouded sky and distant rumbles of thunder didn't bother her. She was too consumed with thinking about not thinking about David Nolan. Or that Kathryn might be pregnant.

While hiking through the tall trees of the forest that surrounded Storybrooke, she heard a trilling sound and some rustling noises. It broke Ms. Blanchard from her reverie. Mary Margaret followed the sounds and found a dove trapped in some netting. She wasn't sure how it happened, but the first thing she did was take it to the animal shelter to have it examined by the veterinarian on duty.

**~O~**

At the shelter she was greeted by, of all people, David Nolan, who worked there. Jo the exterminator was also there. She was a regular volunteer who also brought in larger animals she captured when they invaded people's homes. Jo brought the bird out from the back in a cage. "Here you go, Ms. Blanchard."

A vet discussed the situation with Mary Margaret. The bird was unharmed and could fly under its own power. However, this particular specimen was a North Atlantic Dove. With winter setting in, its flock was migrating south. What made the North Atlantic Dove unusual from other doves was that it formed a strong, monogamous bond with its flock. If the bird was not reunited with the others before they flew away, the bird would be left behind and alone forever.

Mary Margaret didn't want this little dove to be lonely for the rest of its life. "No one deserves that," said Mary Margaret, who was feeling just as lonely and heartbroken. She decided to take the avian back to the woods where she found it and release it before the other birds took flight. David told her it was too dangerous with the storm coming in. The young school teacher thanked him, but refused his offer. It seemed to David that Mary Margaret thought she could do this before the storm reached Storybrooke.

**~O~**

Elsewhere, Mary Margaret's roommate Sheriff Emma Swan was also preparing for the storm. She was loading the trunk of the police cruiser with gear that included flashlights, batteries, flares and road signs. Like everyone else in town, she was dressed for the cold. She wore a thick, red turtle neck sweater over a city issued jacket with the word "SHERIFF" emblazoned in yellow across the back. A knitted cap with "pigtails" sat atop her head.

The mayor approached her and mentioned this stranger who was in town. "He must be one of the untold millions you cursed," Emma replied rather flippantly. "Y'know, Henry's whole thing." Despite Emma's attitude Regina was more interested in this man who was now in Storybrooke.

Emma was dismissive of the idea that she find out more about the visitor as he had committed no crime. This opinion changed the instant Regina told her that he seemed to be taking a particular interest in the one thing both she and Emma cared about: Henry.

"I'll get right on it," the sheriff instantly answered.

**~O~**

Penny Steveston was just as busy preparing her home for the severe weather. A lightning rod was installed when she first moved in and the house had been grounded to carry lightning strikes into the ground. Nonetheless, she shut down and unplugged all of her computers and equipment except for a couple of laptops with extra, fully charged batteries. The laptops both had Wi-Fi and 4G LTE internet services so she could keep up with online weather services. The gas tank on the electric generator out back was filled to capacity and the pantry was stocked with canned foods. The stovetop was electric so Penny bought a camp stove and propane cylinders for it. Flashlights, batteries, ice, a cooler and plenty of cans of soda were also made ready.

Fully prepared, she sat in her kitchen, a cold drink in hand as she blogged about the storm on one laptop and watched the weather radar live stream on another. A NOAA weather alert radio sat on the countertop to announce any emergencies broadcast. Next to it was an iPod playing music to fill the empty house with pleasing sounds.

When she was at her computers Penny had the companionship of her friends online. At times like these, however, she felt lonely and isolated. And even a little bit afraid as she sat in this large house all by herself waiting for the storm to roll in. Without all the whirring of cooling fans the house sounded empty and quiet. Every rolling rumble of thunder seemed to reverberate throughout each room in the house. It unnerved her.

Penny set her iPhone on the kitchen table and began scrolling through her phone numbers. She was looking for Hartley Winter hoping to wait out the storm at his place, but Claire Kensington's name came up first. Her finger hovered over the screen ready to tap it and place the call. She considered joining Mrs. Kensington and her girls to wait out the storm at their home. At least there she had someone her own age to commiserate with. Then Penny remembered the argument she had with Tina. The last thing she wanted was another shouting match about Gonzo.

"Stupid girl," she proclaimed about her one time friend.

The frustration that welled up inside her made Penny forgot about calling Hartley Winter. Instead she returned the phone to its home screen, sipped her drink and went back to monitoring the storm on her laptop.

**~O~**

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

Periwinkle and her friends joined up with the other winter fairies as they gathered to fly back to Never Land. Their contraband was well hidden so that no one, particularly their guild supervisor or the Minister of Winter, would find it.

"Okay, keep your distance, but don't look like you're keeping your distance," Spike instructed Peri and Gliss to avoid detection.

"How do we that?" Gliss asked.

"I don't know. Fly casual."

"Easy for you to say," Periwinkle replied. "You don't have pieces of glass ornament stuck up your corset."

"Just hold it," Spike told her. "It won't be long now. We'll be flying and you'll be much more comfortable."

"Hey, why don't we just ask if it is okay to bring this back to Never Land?" Gliss asked. Spike just fumed at Gliss. The three had earlier debated that they might not be allowed to bring any new "found things" back after what happened at the lake with the new ice skates. Somehow, Gliss had forgotten in just a short span of time. "Oh right."

Spike just sighed. "This isn't going to work."

Once everyone was accounted for the winter fairies lifted off and began their journey back to their home. The night sky was just beginning to give way to daylight as the large contingent took flight. A few humans stirred below, but none looked upward. The fairies were well aloft and beyond the sight of the Londoners. Smoke from chimneys blotted out the sky in front of them, but as the fairies rose to higher altitudes the sky cleared. It was supposed to be an uneventful flight all the way back home.

It wasn't. Shrieks from the front of the group sent dozens of fairies scattering. The glowing mass broke into individual points of light in the sky. Those in the back, including Periwinkle, Gliss and Spike, stopped in midflight to look around. They saw nothing.

"What's going on?" Peri asked.

"I don't know, but something has them spooked," Spike replied.

"Well I didn't see anything," Gliss added.

Everyone craned their necks looking for whatever it was that sent those in front into a panic. Moments later more screams and more fairies disbursed. Suddenly, everyone began to move away from the center, putting more open space between them. Spike then caught sight of the alarm. "Falcon!" she shouted. A peregrine falcon had begun diving on the group.

The peregrine falcon is a predatory bird found throughout the world from the Arctic Tundra to the tropical regions (only New Zealand is absent this avian). The peregrine is a bird eating raptor which is roughly the same size as a crow with a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache." This falcon is renowned for its speed during a hunting stoop or high speed dive. When descending on prey it can reach speeds of 242 miles per hour (389 km/hr) or faster. This makes the peregrine the fastest member of the animal kingdom and a most efficient predator. Even the fastest of the fairies, the fast flying guild, could not match this bird's incredible speed.

The only advantage the fairies had was their nimble agility in open space. Not relegated to simple forward motion, a fairy could move instantly in any direction to dodge the falcon's dive. As long as the peregrine could be spotted before it completed its hunting stoop the fairies had a chance.

Once the falcon was identified Snowflake barked the order for all winter fairies to dive back into the chimney smoke and seek shelter. Hundreds of shimmering streaks turned earthward and dove into the thick smoke belched by the chimneys. The Minister of Winter knew that if her fairies tried to fly back home the peregrine falcon would be relentless in its pursuit of a meal. It wouldn't stop until it had picked off one or more of her charges. Snowflake was many things, but she was not a pragmatist when it came to her fairies. She refused to sacrifice even one to allow the others safe passage home. They would wait it out here in the city until the falcon moved on to easier prey.

Spike, Periwinkle and Gliss raced down to near street level and looked for an appropriate hiding place. In the distance, more screams were heard. This sent shivers down Peri's spine. Each time she heard those screams it left her wondering if one of her winter fairy brothers or sisters would never make it back to the Winter Woods.

"Let's go!" Spike shouted. "Find an opening. Anyplace we can hide."

"Look out!"

The peregrine falcon was diving on them now. It sliced through the air as it descended upon them. Spike and Gliss made for a crack in the wooden window framing of a stone house. Periwinkle, who had never known such fear, was petrified. Peri's mind completely locked up as the falcon swooped down from above. Other fairies in its path shot out of the way, but the predator had one fairy in mind. It slashed through the air but found nothing. Spike and Gliss had yanked Periwinkle from certain death and shoved her through the crack they had found. On the other side of the window was an attic space. Above them, a thatched roof. Below them a house with a warm hearth, holiday decorations, a Christmas and recently unwrapped gifts in the parlor and bedroom.

It was quite the irony, an atmosphere of terror outside and merriment inside. "What do we do now?" Peri asked.

Spike responded with, "We wait. We wait and we hope that everyone got away."

"Well how long are we stuck here?"

The shrieks of frightened winter fairies pierced through the thatch roof once again.

"When the falcon says so."

* * *

**Author's note: The information about the Peregrine Falcon comes from Wikipedia. The falcon's dive speed was actually recorded by National Geographic. It can in fact achieve 242 miles per hour during a hunting stoop. The Wikipedia entry has a link to an article on the Smithsonian Air and Space Magazine which describes the measurement and testing methodology.  
**

**There is a small shout out to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. (It's the "Fly casual" dialogue.)**

**Thank you for reading. Reviews and other feedback are always appreciated.**


	113. Chapter 113

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 8**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Snow White was despondent. She was certain the love of her life would be forever beyond her reach. She sat on a log contemplating the vial which Rumpelstiltskin had prepared for her. He said it would make her forget him entirely. But did she want to forget him as though he never existed?

Just then, a dove landed next to her. Attached to its leg was a note. Snow read the letter which was addressed to her. It was from Prince James. In it he declared his undying love for her. All he asked was that she arrive at the castle. If she did he would know she loved him to and he would leave everything to be with her.

Snow White had never been so happy.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret drove out into the woods, the dove still in its cage. The road which took her to the bird's flock was gated off. She stopped her old Jeep Wagoneer and got out. The birds were chirping and trilling in the distance. The little dove's flock was nearby. She put up her hood and ventured into the forest. The storm was closing in faster than she had anticipated.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Snow White had formulated a plan to infiltrate King George's castle. She dressed in a cloak and put up her hood. Snow pretended to be a servant for King Midas delivering flowers for the ceremony. Once inside via the servant's entrance Snow tossed aside her cloak and basket of flowers and went looking for Prince James. A castle guard found her first.

"I am a royal emissary," she declared as the guard tossed her into the dungeon and locking the door.

He read the note from James to Snow. "The king will know what to do with you," he said, taking the letter with him. Almost immediately Snow White began looking for a way to break out of the cell. The walls were cut from the cave walls. The door and bars were made forged from strong iron. She tried to break the lock with a stone, but that didn't work. She climbed up looking for a weak spot where the iron and stone met, but to no avail.

The short and stout man in the cell next to her said that it was hopeless. Snow would not hear any of that defeatism. She was determined to break free. Out there was a man she was meant to be with. A man she loved dearly and who loved her back.

"Love? It's not worth it," the stumpy looking man declared. He told her that he had fallen in love with a beautiful woman once. He wanted to marry her so he saved up for full year to buy a diamond from the mine where he worked. The foreman sold him the shiny gem, but it turned out to be stolen and he was blamed for it. Now he was rotting in jail. "All for love," he said with a bitter bile in his tone of voice.

Snow wouldn't give up. She had to get out. Love was worth it.

"Good luck with that," he replied.

The stout little man introduced himself as Grumpy. A dwarf. Snow offered her name and continued to look for some way to escape. He told her once again that there was no way out.

"I know a way out," a voice said to Grumpy from the shadows.

"Stealthy!"

Here was another dwarf. Stealthy had put the guards to sleep with a magic powder. He unlocked Grumpy's cell and set him free. Grumpy didn't care much about the girl in the adjacent cell. He was ready to leave her to her fate. Snow could have pleaded with him, or cursed him for leaving her behind, but her good heart wouldn't allow it. Instead she said, "Good luck finding your love." And she meant every word of it. Snow genuinely wanted this poor creatures to find true love and real happiness.

He didn't want to, but Grumpy turned around and set her free, as well. The group, now at three, skulked their way through the catacombs towards the exit. Snow wanted to take the stairs which would lead them to the castle walls. They simply had to climb over to their freedom. Stealthy replied that the courtyard was empty. They could simply walk out and not be seen. Grumpy decided to follow his friend, leaving the girl to find her own way out of the castle.

It was night outside. People were asleep and the courtyard, as Stealthy had said, was devoid of guards. Inside the castle courtyard merchants had set up booths to sell their wares, food stuffs and anything of value which could be offered to the visitors who would clog the square in the hours leading up to the ceremony.

Also there were to be entertainers, fire eaters, dancers, puppet shows and a myriad of other performers who had left their carriages in the yard as they slept. Nearby, the caravans of visiting dignitaries waited. The horses tied up for the night and asleep. The courtyard was silent, the shops were closed, booths were unattended and only a few torches and the moonlight lit up the yard. It was supposed to be an easy escape.

It was a trap. The instant Stealthy and Grumpy stepped out of the shadows the king and his men had the two dwarves surrounded. Stealthy tried to make a run for it, but took an arrow to the heart for his troubles. As his friend lay dead, Grumpy defied the king when George asked him where the girl was.

"What girl?" Grumpy spat.

"Kill him," King George ordered.

"Looking for me?"

George turned and saw Snow White standing next to a cart full of hay for the horses. She was holding a lit torch just over it. "Let him go or this place will burn," she demanded.

The castle was made of stone, but all the merchant shops, performer wagons and the caravans were highly flammable. If they burned King George would be publically humiliated in front of the many visiting crowned heads of state and dignitaries who would lose everything in the fire and it would prove that King George could not even secure his own castle from a single invader. His reputation would be in ruins and his kingdom would be the laughing stock of the surrounding realms.

Snow White announced she was willing to trade herself for the dwarf. It was more than a fair trade. Grumpy was allowed to leave. After Grumpy was safely gone from the castle, King George turned his attention to Snow White and said, "We have to talk."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret was on foot. She was trying to find where the flock was located. She looked skyward trying to find where the flock was resting as the storm approached. Her next step sent her down into a ravine. She grabbed hold of a tree root, but was left dangling from the side. The root began to give way.

A hand reached down and grabbed her. It pulled her up to safety. It was David Nolan. He had followed her. He tried to talk her out of this but then the heavens opened and the rain poured down in buckets. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. She picked up the cage with the dove and followed David to a cabin. It was unoccupied so they let themselves in to get out of the rain. Night was falling, the temperature was dropping and both were soaking wet. David gathered wood and made a fire in the hearth to keep them warm.

**~O~**

Lightning flashed and lit up the night sky. It was as if a brilliant sun flashed each time bathing the darkened town in a harsh, fluorescent light. Thunder cracked and rumbled, shaking windows and frightening residents. The power had gone out all over Storybrooke. Residents were reduced to using flashlights and candles. At the Kensington residence Claire and her daughters ate an early dinner right before the power was lost. Inside the now darkened house they decided to retire a little early. Claire changed into gold colored satin pajamas while Tina and Valerie dressed in warmer flannel sleepwear. Tina's was in a green and black tartan while Valerie's was purple and black. With no electricity they were reduced to using flashlights and battery powered LED lanterns.

When lightning strikes at a distance the sound takes time to travel and the thunder is often a faint rumble. At closer distances that rumble is louder and stronger. When it gets much closer it often announces itself with a preamble. A loud crack just before a terrific crash of ear splitting sound.

This is what sent a frightened Tina into her sister's bedroom. Valerie's bed, however, was too small for a second person. "Hey, get out of my room," Vidia protested. Another bright flash, another crack followed immediately by the immersive thunder. Tina raced out of Valerie's room and into her mother's.

"Mom? Can I sleep with you tonight?" Tina pleaded from the doorway. She was sixteen, but the terrifying sounds still turned her into that same panicky little girl who used to dash into her parent's bed at the first loud crash of thunder and lightning all those years ago.

"Of course, dear," Claire replied. She pulled down the covers and invited her youngest to join her.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Vidia asked stepping angrily into the master bedroom. "You come bursting into my room and try to sneak into my bed. Then you run out like a frightened dairy mouse."

"Aren't you scared?" Tina asked her older sister. The young blonde stood by Claire's bed, quivering a tad each time a distant flash lit up the windows of her mother's bedroom.

"No. It's rained and thundered in Pixie Hollow and I never got scared."

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHHH!

As if on cue a blinding flash and monstrous explosion filled the room. When lightning strikes extremely close, there is no preamble. No crackling sound to announce itself. Instead, there is silence and then there is chaos.

This is what greeted the three women. It came from everywhere all at once and was so loud the entire house shook. It was instantaneous, and took them completely by surprise. Vidia and Tina practically leapt out of their skin from the sudden shock. They shrieked and launched themselves into Claire's bed where they curled up under the covers. Claire put her arms around her two girls and held them tight. The sound they heard was like a thousand giant explosions going off all at once right in their ears and never letting up. It relentlessly permeated their house for over a minute. It seemed more like an hour. No sound could be heard over the impervious din. Not the crying from Tina, or the screaming from Vidia who covered her ears.

It eventually dissipated to a cacophonous roar. Then a window shaking rumble. Then finally it was little more than distant noise until it was gone. Neither girl was willing to leave the room or the "safety" of Claire's bed. There they stayed through every flash of lightning and every report of thunder. Soon their fear brought them exhaustion. Their exhaustion brought them to sleep. Here they slept in the comforting embrace of their mother. A mother who, despite being just as frightened, smiled as she remembered both these girls doing the same thing when they were so much younger.

**~O~**

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

"Well?" Gliss asked Spike. "Can we go now?"

Spike peeked out of the attic window. Up in the sky the peregrine falcon was still circling, searching for fairies it knew were in abundance in the city below it.

"It's still there," she reported back.

"When is it going to leave us alone?"

"When it gets too hungry to wait any longer," Spike said, pretty much venturing a guess but proposing it as though it were factual information.

"So now what do we do?" Periwinkle asked her two friends.

"We're stuck here," Spike answered. "So let's make the best of things." She set out inside the house to look for food and water. There was plenty of both. The three little fairies stole down the stairs and into the kitchen. The room was chilled, but not very warm or very cold. They ate from the foods that were available which included fruits and hearty bread. They drank water except for Gliss who took some wine and wound up acting even sillier than normal because of it.

The house had been decorated for the holiday and the beautifully bold colors that Periwinkle admired so much were in abundance. There was a Christmas tree, holly strung above the hearth, wreaths on the door and garland strung from the ceiling. A set of figurines that were each about the size of a fairy were displayed on a small table next to the towering tree. Periwinkle landed by it to inspect this scene. There was a sheep and a donkey, three men in fancy dress of distant and exotic origin and in the center of it all was a depiction of a stable with a mother and father kneeling at the foot of a manger. Inside this manger was child. An infant with a yellowish/gold circle about its head. Above it was "hovering" another small figurine of an angel. Spike explained the significance of the scene laid out before them and its meaning to the humans. Based on the Nativity and the other religious iconography within the house, these people were quite devout in their beliefs.

Gliss animatedly flew into the room alerting her two friends that the people who lived here were awake and moving around upstairs. Furthermore, an older lady had just entered through the backdoor and was in the kitchen starting to cook. Spike directed all of them back to the attic. She herself went to the kitchen to spy on the older lady. She must have been a maid or servant, the winter fairy surmised.

When the human's back was turned Spike zipped into the room, grabbed a few grapes off the table and flew back up the stairs into the attic space with her two comrades. The grapes would sustain them throughout the day. Providing that the falcon remained above the city searching for food.

**~O~**

Periwinkle, who was more interested in the humans than either Gliss or Spike was watching from a small hole in the ceiling. The couple who lived here had stirred. The man was dressing while his wife sat in a rocking chair before the hearth. Embers glowed from the fire that had kept them warm throughout the night. He put a few more logs on the embers and soon they began to burn illuminating the room further with their firelight.

"Thank you, Martin," the woman said. The lady of the house had a plump belly. She was clearly expecting and soon. In the far corner of the bedroom was an empty bassinet or pram. The pram was decorated with red ribbon and a bow. A Christmas gift from someone to the couple. She absolutely adored the elegantly ornate infant bed.

"Anything for you, my dearest Elizabeth," Martin replied, adding a kiss to underscore his sentiment.

Moments later the older woman ascended the stairs with a tray of food in hand. She placed the try on table next to the woman so she could enjoy her breakfast. Periwinkle noticed that just about everything was done for the woman who was with child. Martin, the husband fawned over her every need. The older woman, Mrs. Perkins, was hired to help.

Martin left the room and reappeared moments late with his own tray. He sat next to his wife and they ate breakfast together. When they finished he left his bride in the capable hands of Mrs. Perkins. Watching from the attic window Periwinkle saw Martin flag down a horse drawn carriage taxi and go off to work.

Periwinkle returned to her little pinhole in the ceiling. "He's a good man," Mrs. Perkins informed her employer. "He loves you very much, takes good care of you and he's got a good bit of money, too, him being a natural philosopher and all."

"Oh, Mrs. Perkins," Elizabeth replied with a gentle laugh. "Haven't you heard? They call themselves scientists now."

Mrs. Perkins just rolled her eyes. She hated it when people changed the names of something. "Speaking of names, have you and Dr. Griffiths picked one out for the baby?"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied. "If it's a boy we will name him after his father. If it's a girl she'll be named after her mother."

"Oh, both good Christian names. Excellent choices," Mrs. Perkins enthused. "I do hope God blesses you with a strong and healthy baby."

"Thank you, Mrs. Perkins," Elizabeth replied. "Thank you very much."

**~O~**

Periwinkle continued to peek in on the goings on of the house. When Mrs. Perkins went off to clean the house, Elizabeth took to knitting and humming pleasant tunes. Spike said they were directed at the baby she carried inside her. Later, Elizabeth read from a book about what to expect as a new mother and later she and Mrs. Perkins had tea and giggled at the wickedly funny stories they told each other about their husbands. The little frost fairy was enraptured by these humans and their funny ways.

Later that evening Martin returned from his work and brought with him a gift from his colleagues. A blanket for the infant. Since no one knew what it was to be, one side was in pink and the other was in blue. "It's perfect," Elizabeth gushed. "Please thank them for me."

"I will, my love," Martin replied. He placed the warm blanket inside the bassinet then joined his beautiful, glowing bride at the hearth where they talked and shared about his day and hers. When night fell they went off to bed and doused the lights.

**~O~**

Outside, the peregrine falcon was no longer in the skies above London. A few winter scouts ventured out and sounded the all clear gathering their scattered numbers. Once again the talent guild overseers counted their numbers and made sure each fairy, by name, was present. When word reached Snowflake that everyone was safe she gave a wave of her hand and the entire contingent of winter fairies safely lit off for Never Land.

* * *

**The part about how thunder sounds when lightning strikes very, very close is a real phenomenon. I've lived it. Twice. It's not fun.  
**

**Thank you for reading. Any and all feedback is always appreciated.**


	114. Chapter 114

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 9**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

That evening Emma caught up with the stranger. He was at Granny's having a warm drink to armor him against the cold and wet weather outdoors. The power had gone out around town. Granny and Ruby had placed candles on every table for any customers who came in to get out of the rain. Not that it mattered much since he was the only customer in the store.

The sheriff had a few questions for him, specifically his interest in Henry. She made it sound like it was against the law to visit Storybrooke. He replied quite defensively, but with word play that danced around what she was after. The stranger admitted that Henry approached him and that the boy was precocious and inquisitive. That was something Emma didn't know. Regina's statement made it sound as if this man was a predator.

Next Emma wanted to know his name and why he was in Storybrooke. "I'm not going to tell you," he replied with a smile. "Instead I'm going to make you wait." He intended to drive her nuts with frustration and let her imagination get the best of her until finally she would burst. Or he could reveal everything right now if she promised to have a drink with him sometime.

She agreed, hesitantly. The stranger opened the box and revealed… an old typewriter. He was a writer. And his name was August W. Booth. The W stood for Wayne. He had come to Storybrooke looking for inspiration. Emma began to wonder if this guy was pulling her leg. _Maybe he's read too many Stephen King novels_, she thought.

King was a famous author of horror and supernatural fiction. The author was a resident of Maine and set many of his stories there.

Then August closed his box and got up to leave the store. "What about that drink?" she asked him.

"I said sometime," he replied with a bit of smirk.

**~O~**

* * *

THE WINTER WOODS, NEVER LAND (The Late Victorian Era)

"How's it going?" Spike asked Periwinkle.

Peri sighed. Her favorite colorful things from the mainland were locked up tight in her room where no one could adore their splendor. Not even Periwinkle. What was the point in bringing them if no one was allowed to look upon their amazing colors, she asked herself repeatedly.

And the little frost fairy whose glow so startled the other denizens of the Winter Woods when she arrived still couldn't master complex shapes with her frost talent. "I'm beginning to feel depressed. Can't we go back to the mainland?"

"Not yet," Spike replied. "It's still too warm for us. When winter comes around again we can go."

"It's not enough," she sighed. "The warm fairies can visit three times a year. What do we get? Just once and always with the same lack of color. White, white and more white. Why couldn't I have been born a warm fairy?"

"Now don't say that," Spike admonished. "Being a winter fairy is a wonderful life. Remember all the fun the humans had during winter? Building snow men, the snow ball fights and skating on ice? That was us. We did that. We're the ones who made them happy."

The corners of Periwinkle's mouth began to pull upwards into a slight grin. "Yeah. I suppose you're right. I just… I just want more out of my life."

"Well, keep practicing your frost shapes. Once you get that down you can unleash your creativity and life will never seem dull again."

Peri sighed. "Okay. I'll keep trying."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire heard the doorbell ringing. Then someone pounding on the door. The rain was pouring and the lightning and thunder were just as harsh as they were an hour ago. Her girls were asleep, but she was just barely dozing off when she heard the noise downstairs. The person at the door was relentless as they kept pressing the doorbell, almost as if pleading to be let in from the pouring rain.

The mother of two gently slipped out of her warm and comfy bed, put on her house shoes and padded down the stairs. When she reached the bottom she heard someone crying to be let inside.

"Penny!" Mrs. Kensington threw open the front door and was greeted by the soaked and sobbing form of the little girl who had been, until just recently, Tina's best friend.

"Please, can I come inside?" she wept. Claire didn't even give her half a chance to finish. The girl was swept into the house along with her duffle bag, portable cooler and laptop bag which was wrapped in plastic to protect the sensitive electronics.

The poor girl was drenched to the bone. "Come upstairs, dear." Penny was shown the common bathroom at the top of the stairs where she could remove her water logged clothing and take a hot shower. Claire prepared some of Tina's clothing since the two girls were almost the same size. Tina being older was a tad bit more filled out than Penny, but the clothes fit just fine if slightly loose.

"Thank you, Mrs. Kensington. I'm sorry to bother you tonight. I probably should have gone to Mr. Winter's house, but…"

"You are always welcome here, sweetheart," Claire replied. "No matter what Tina says. Now come get some sleep."

It took some prodding to get Penny to accept, but Claire soon found herself surrounded in her own bed on one side by Tina and Valerie who were huddled up together and Penny on the other who insisted that she could sleep on the couch downstairs. "Nonsense," Claire replied. Penny obviously didn't want to be alone in this terrible thunderstorm. If Claire let the girl sleep downstairs or in any other room of the house she would still be isolated. Mrs. Kensington would have none of that. It was a bit of a tight fit, but soon all four women slept in the large bed even as the storm continued its ferocious assault on the seaside town.

**~O~**

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

When winter finally returned to the mainland Periwinkle was not quite so excited to go this time. She still had problems frosting shapes and seemed hopelessly depressed that any reminders of the magical world of the humans would be suppressed by Minister Snowflake or the ever dour Lord Milori.

Yet when she did return the cheerful colors of the Christmas holiday vastly improved her mood. That first evening she and her friends frosted everything they could and then retired to their temporary home so they could repeat the process until winter took firm hold.

On the way, Periwinkle spotted someone familiar in a café. Inside was Mrs. Perkins the woman who was helping that nice couple last year. During the long interval on Never Land Peri had completely forgotten about the Griffiths. One look through the window and the little frost fairy noticed that Mrs. Perkins looked rather despairing.

Periwinkle ducked inside the café through a mouse hole in the wall and sat high in the rafters as she listened in on the conversation. Mrs. Perkins was conversing with another woman who, by the context of their dialog, was also a governess. They prattled on about their work and their husbands before the other lady asked Mrs. Perkins about her employment.

"Is Dr. Griffiths still the same way?" the governess asked.

"Oh he's worse now," Mrs. Perkins replied.

"No! Truly?"

"Yes. Ever since the missus passed away the good doctor has been so unhappy," she admitted. "The baby seems to be all that keeps him sane these days."

As Periwinkle listened she learned that the lovely lady who was expecting a child died shortly after giving birth. She contracted an infection and passed away days later. It took a huge toll on the husband and left him in a terrible way.

"You didn't hear it from me, but the man's lost his faith," Mrs. Perkins confided to her friend.

"Oh the poor thing," the other woman gasped.

"When the missus took ill he spent every day at the church praying for a miracle, but alas Elizabeth was taken from him. Now the good doctor refuses to believe in anything he can't see or examine." Mrs. Perkins then added, "He won't even let me read fairy tales to the baby. He calls them infantile nonsense."

"How terrible for him and the baby," the other woman gasped. "What can you do?"

"Hope and pray he can find a willingness to believe again," Mrs. Perkins replied with a touch of despair in her voice.

Periwinkle was crushed by this news. She immediately flew to the house where she and her friends were hold up last year when the peregrine falcon scattered her kind into hiding. From the same pinhole in the ceiling she peered into the bedroom. The man was there holding his child and trying to comfort her. The baby was crying.

"There, there, Lizzy. I wish your mother was here as much as you," he said. Then he began to hum a tune his own mother used to sing to him when he was a tyke.

Periwinkle used this moment to dive into the house and look around. It was as Mrs. Perkins had said. Every bit of ornamentation which decorated this house last winter for the holiday was absent. No pretty colored garland, no holly on the tree or wreath on the door. The only tree was a small one. It sat in a dark corner on a table where the Nativity stood last year. This tree was a pale, puny thing and seemed to exist more out of respect for tradition than any celebratory desire.

Then she noticed something else missing. All the religious trappings that Spike had pointed out to her last winter season were missing from the walls. No crosses, or portraits or icons. Every religious painting that adorned each and every room last year were gone. Even the picture of the Bishop of Canterbury was not on its hanger.

In their places were portraits of scientists; diagrams of butterflies, drawings of different species of plants and sketches of rocks native to Great Britain. And among these were many, many portraits of Elizabeth. Martin's beloved wife which he had lost so recently. They seemed to permeate the house now as if Dr. Griffiths were clinging to the past. That was what defined the man today. His pain and suffering.

And his baby girl, Lizzy.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

David Nolan put a warm blanket around Mary Margaret's shoulders. She was still cold from being drenched by the downpour. She threw it off explaining that she didn't want him tagging along because it was too painful to be around him. Even after all this time she still had feelings for him even though he was married. Mary Margaret told David that she went to Granny's every morning at 7:15 just so she could see him.

David smiled explaining that he went to Granny's at 7:15 just so he could see Mary Margaret. The schoolteacher was shocked by this revelation. Realizing that each still has feelings for the other both lean in close to kiss each other. To give greater expression to their love for each other.

Then Mary Margaret stopped. She couldn't go through with this, not with Kathryn possibly expecting a baby. This caught David completely off guard. He didn't know.

David admitted that the feelings he had for Kathryn were just memories, the feelings he had for Mary Margaret were very real. Mary Margaret, however, couldn't go on with this and told him they had to forget each other.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

King George was not going to let Snow White interrupt James' wedding to Princess Abigail. He ordered her to go into his chambers and tell him she didn't love him. When she refused, Snow taunted him, "What are you going to do? Kill me?"

"No! I'll kill him," George replied defiantly. "If I kill you he will only love you more. If I kill him he'll become a martyr. He'll be lauded as a hero and King Midas will be moved fulfill his end of the agreement."

"You would do this to your own son?" she asked him, horrified by his response. Snow was confident he was bluffing and called it out.

"He _is not_ my son." Upon learning James' true background Snow knew the king wasn't bluffing. He would indeed kill James to get his way. She had no other options now. Snow loved James too much to let him die. Snow White approached James who was overjoyed at her presence until she rejected him.

"I don't love you," she told him. "I never did. The best thing is for us to forget each other."

It was the most painful thing she had ever had to do. James was equally crushed. The women he loved most did not love him in return. Both were left despondent and heartbroken.

With the deed done Snow left the castle feeling destroyed inside. Soon she is joined by Grumpy and the other dwarfs. When asked what happened with her prince, she replied, "I've lost him forever." Snow White contemplated drinking the forgetting potion Rumpelstiltskin provided to her. She didn't want to bear this pain any longer.

"We are seven now," Grumpy told her as he and the others are clearly mourning the loss of their brother. His pain was now part of who he was and her pain should be part of her, too. It wasn't especially comforting, but if Grumpy could manage Snow might be able to, as well. Left with no place to go, the dwarfs invited Snow to live with them. Together they could comfort and support each other.

* * *

**The change in attitude for Martin Griffiths was inspired by the character Captain Malcolm Reynolds from the television series _Firefly_. I thought that this development could go a long way to explain his attitudes in The Great Fairy Rescue. Thus, when he learns to believe thanks to Lizzy, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends it serves to finally bring him closure and help him move on and perhaps acts as the start of a kind of redemptive period of his life. ****(Again, not unlike Malcolm Reynolds in the _Firefly_ follow up movie _Serenity_.) ****(When I say redemptive, it does not necessarily have to be religious in nature. Perhaps it is just making up for lost time with Lizzy and learning to live life to its fullest.)**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to everyone who has left a review, or made this story a favorite or is following it. Your feedback and loyalty is always appreciated.**


	115. Chapter 115

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The storm relented late. At the cabin, Mary Margaret discovered to her great joy that the flock did not leave. The birds waited out the storm in the forest and she was able to release the dove back to its friends. Now it would not have to face a lifetime of loneliness and isolation.

On the other hand, she would.

That joy of watching the little dove return to its friends soon turned to heartache. Mary Margaret knew that she and David Nolan could no longer see each other and both had to bury any feelings they had for the other. It was a painful reminder of how cruel life could be.

**~O~**

Morning. Claire stood in the hallway. She was on the phone calling her clients for that day. With the power still out in certain parts of Storybrooke, including her neighborhood, committing to any work was not going to be possible. She was attempting to reschedule as many appointments as she could. She was quite grateful at the understanding of each person she spoke with.

In her bed were the three girls, Tina, Valerie and Penny. The two sisters were still snuggled up against each other, bracing themselves against the frightening evening they endured the night before. Finally, Tina stirred. She opened her sleepy eyes and stared right into the face of her sister which was nose to nose with her own. Then she noticed that her arms were wrapped around Valerie and Valerie's arms were wrapped around her. A filial embrace of solidarity against the violent thunderstorm.

It terrified her more than the lightning and thunder. Tina shrieked.

"YAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Valerie woke with a start and screamed in reply. "DYAAAAAAAAHH!"

This jolted Penny awake and into a fit of screams, as well. "AAAAYYYIIEEEEEE!"

Suddenly, all three were screaming and shrieking. "AAAAAHHH!

"AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"What is going on in here?" Claire bellowed, standing in the doorway. She placed her hand over the microphone of her cell phone to prevent the person on the other end from hearing their conversation.

Tina rocketed out of bed and started to wriggle from being creeped out. "Eewwee, I was cuddling up with my sister. Yu-uck!"

Valerie hurried out of the bed and darted from the room. "Where are you going?" Claire asked.

"To my room so I can forget this ever happened," was her sharp reply.

Then Tina made a mad dash for the common bathroom in the hallway so she could shower "the ickiness" off of her.

Penny stared at Claire and asked, "Is this normal?"

Claire readily and calmly answered, "Yes," then went back to talking with her client on the phone.

"Whoa! I've heard of togetherness, but this takes the cake," she muttered.

**~O~**

Desiree wanted to use the power outage as an excuse to have more sex with Ned. They had made love in every room in the house except the bedroom, which was where Ned wanted to go next. Desiree wasn't too happy with the suggestion. She found the idea of love making in the bedroom as being very bourgeois. However, Ned told her since it had never been used for that purpose it could be viewed as "an exotic location to stimulate the senses."

She saw his point and they proceeded to spend the entire night in the upstairs bedroom surrounded by candles and music from her iPad. They two were quite "vigerous."

When the cleaning crew arrived the next morning they were stunned to find a broken bed.

"Impetuous," Lisa commented.

"Homeric," Cindy was inclined to say.

"You read way too much," Rae insisted.

"Actually, that was from a movie. _The Quiet Man_ with John Wayne," Cindy said in reply.

"Looks like you've got egg on your face," Lisa told Rae.

"Good thing we're a cleaning service," Gracie added with a chuckle.

Rae just rolled her eyes and started wondering aloud, "How are we supposed to clean _this_ up?"

"We don't," Lisa told her. "It's not in our job description. Leave it for Desiree, she can afford movers."

The talk show host was already taking care of that. She called the local furniture store and ordered a brand new bed. "And make sure this one holds up!" she insisted. "I'm not paying good money for lousy furniture."

Several neighborhoods in Storybrooke were still without power when her morning show was broadcast. Not everyone could tune in. Viewers who could, though, noticed immediately that she had a funny gait to her walk. When Cleo pointed it out, Desiree could only demure and answered, "Ooh, I don't kiss and tell, sugar. But it was _glorious_."

During a commercial break, the show's director insisted that she censor herself while on the air. "This is a family show, remember?"

"Oh please, how many kids are watching at this hour?"

"Well, for one, the mayor's son. She called to complain. Now be careful."

"Hmph, the mayor sure lets her panties get into a bunch over nothing, doesn't she?" was how Desiree responded. The director just scowled at her. "Okay, okay. I'll watch my language from now on."

~O~

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

Periwinkle told her friends what she had learned. "She's gone, that poor baby's mother is gone. All she has left is her father and the governess."

"Oh, that's terrible," Gliss replied, the spring temporarily gone from her step.

"So? What do you want us to do about it?" Spike answered pragmatically. "We can't bring back the dead."

"Well we have to do something," Periwinkle pleaded.

"It's none of our concern," Spike replied. "This happens all the time in the human world, Peri. You're just going to have to get used to it."

Spike turned to fly away. "Is that what you did?" Peri asked directly. "Got used to it?"

"I don't get all wrapped up in what happens to these humans the way you do, Peri. I know of them, I know about them, but I do not get attached to them."

Periwinkle looked at Gliss with pitiable eyes. Gliss had to look away. She was caught between Spike's pragmatism and Peri's big heartedness. She hated being caught between two friends. It never turned out well.

"Well…, I'm going to do something," Peri announced, effectively putting her foot down.

"What do you intend to do?" Spike asked.

"I don't know yet, just that I want to do something for that baby. The governess said her father didn't believe anymore."

"Believe in what?" Gliss asked.

"In anything. He will only believe in what he can see or study. The little baby will be reared the same way. Can you imagine a child not believing in fairies?"

"Okay, so how do you propose we make the father change his mind? Show ourselves to him?" Spike asked in a snippy tone.

"Oh oh oh, I know. Why not show ourselves to the baby?" Gliss answered excitedly.

Spike had to explain that the girl was too little to know what it was seeing. They could flit around in front of the infant all day long and it wouldn't do any good.

Both Peri and Gliss appeared defeated. Until…, "That's not a bad idea, Gliss," Periwinkle said.

"You're kidding?" Spike asked, incredulous.

Periwinkle told her two friends about the mobile which hung over the baby's crib. Every time she would lie there, the infant would see it. The mobile had shapes made to look like stars and moons. "Maybe we should add a couple of new decorations made to look like fairies."

"I get it, that way the little girl would always see us," Gliss squealed excitedly.

"Uh…, won't the father just tear them down?" Spike asked, recognizing the hole in their logic.

"Oh…, right," Peri answered, feeling utterly dejected.

Spike then suggested an alternative. "Of course, if we painted ourselves into the stars, and used abstract forms and a color that didn't stick out too much, just be subtle…, yeah, we could do it."

Periwinkle grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks, Spike."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

David was getting ready for work as was Kathryn. David could sense something was troubling her. "Anything you want to tell me?" he asked.

Kathryn told him how she felt about their relationship. "David, even when you're here it's like you're not even here."

David said he was going to try harder. Kathryn admitted that she thought she was pregnant. She wasn't. However, it brought to the forefront of her mind what she wanted from her marriage. Kathryn wanted a family with David someday. She wanted to have children and raise them together. They agreed to begin couple's therapy with Dr. Hopper to try and repair their broken relationship.

She looked at the clock. It was just after seven in the morning. "We had better go if you want your coffee at Granny's."

"Why don't we stay in for breakfast?" he suggested.

**~O~**

Mary Margaret didn't go to Granny's for coffee this morning. Instead she stayed in and ate breakfast with her roommate, the sheriff. Emma sat at the table with her legs folded up while she ate a kid's sugary cereal. Mary Margaret had prepared her regular breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, dollar pancakes and juice. Emma told her it was the right thing to do. Mary Margaret knew Emma was right, but it didn't make the pain any less difficult to tolerate. She just wished she could forget all about David.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Grumpy had gotten word from Red. The prince had called off the wedding. "Good news!" Grumpy shouted. He ran down the road and into the house where he and his brothers lived. They had given over one of the rooms to Snow White. He burst in yelling, "Good news! The prince has cancelled the wedding. James has isn't going to marry Princess Abigail. Now you can be with him."

Snow looked at him rather confused. "Who?"

Grumpy spied the night table. On it was the vial given to Snow by Rumpelstiltskin. It was empty. Snow White had consumed the potion to ease her broken heart, but in process had forgotten James. The timing couldn't have been worse.

**~O~**

Prince James charged his steed across the meadow to the home of Widow Lucas and her granddaughter Red. "Where is Snow?" he asked Red, the comely young woman in the red cape. He dismounted his horse to speak to her directly and respectfully.

"She didn't come back after visiting you at the castle," the woman in the red cape answered.

"I will find her," James declared, mounting his steed to further the search. "I will always find her."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mary Margaret stopped at Granny's for some coffee before work. It was 7:45 am. She went out of her way to avoid seeing David this morning. When she opened the door, there he stood at the counter. The schoolteacher was surprised. David was just as stunned. She turned and left the diner. He followed her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I came late to avoid seeing you," he answered.

"Well, I came at 7:45 to avoid seeing you," she replied. "David, we can't be doing this…"

"Kathryn's not pregnant," he blurted out. Suddenly it was as if every blockade between them had been whisked away. They kissed each other, passionately. Across the street Mayor Mills looked on in disgust from her car.

If Kathryn ever found out, she would be crushed.

**~O~**

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

"Okay, we are done," Spike announced.

Periwinkle and her friends had successfully used pastel colored paints to add in fairy shapes to some of the objects hanging from the mobile that hung over Lizzy's crib. These fairy paintings ranged from small to large, but always subtle and not easy to spot. They simply blended into the design. In essence, they were providing something that would be seen more clearly on a subconscious level rather than a conscious level, even if they didn't immediately know it.

"From now on, whenever that little girl looks up here, she'll see fairies among the stars."

"Do you think this will work?" Gliss asked.

"We can't be too direct or the father will replace this thing. All our work will be wasted."

"It will work," Periwinkle declared. "It has to."

The three winter fairies grabbed their paint and brushes and left the room through the attic like they did last season. "It would be interesting to come back in a few years to find out what has happened to this child," Periwinkle mused. "Will she still believe in fairies? Or will her father just drum any such thoughts out of her head?"

"Yeah. It's a shame we will never know," Spike replied.

* * *

**Hmm..., it seems that Periwinkle well eventually find out... in _Secret of the Wings_. I hope everyone is still enjoying this story. Drop me a line. Thanks.**


	116. Chapter 116

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 11**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina was most unhappy that Penny was in her house.

"Actually, it's my house," Claire helpfully reminded her. "Now go into the living room and talk to her. Remember all the fun things you two used to do. Like when you teased your sister, or she helped you with your homework."

"Oh yeah, so I can get stuck doing even more math problems," Tina groused.

"Go!" Claire ordered in her playfully stern way. The little blonde grunted and crossed her arms in disgust, but she promptly did as told.

As Tina left the kitchen Vidia entered. The house was lit up only by the daylight and some well-placed candles following the thunderstorm. The gas stove still worked so Claire was busy making lunch for everyone. Valerie had bathed and dressed for the day. It was rather nice to have some time off, she said confiding in Claire. "Especially after last night."

All four women had been frightened out of their skins by the clap of thunder that sounded like a bomb detonating inside their house. It had left their nerves frazzled. The good sleep helped settle them. Waking up together in Claire's bed only rattled their nerves again. Particularly Tina and Valerie.

Claire nodded in agreement. "Would you hand me the milk from the cooler?" she asked, pointing to the ice chest that sat on the floor. Vidia provided the milk and Claire dribbled in just enough into the eggs she was mixing. "There, that ought to do it." Valerie returned the milk to the cooler and removed a bottle of water. She still couldn't understand why humans drank water from a bottle when there was plenty of water from the faucet in the kitchen. Taking a deep drink of the icy cold beverage answered her question.

"You can't get water this good from the tap," she susurrated.

The telephone rang while Claire was whisking the eggs. She answered. "Hartley," she practically gushed. "How are you?"

The bowl of eggs was handed over to Vidia who kept whisking them. She turned a brief moment later and witnessed her queen sitting at the kitchen table cross legged. Claire was absent mindedly twirling her hair, her face was blushing a bit and she had this big silly grin on her face. Her eyes seemed to sparkle, Claire's vocal cadence changed just a bit and she acted like a giddy teenager.

This had been going on ever since Claire and Hartley reconciled after the New Year's Eve debacle. Tina had described this kind of behavior as "adorkable." Claire was acting dorky in an adorable sort of way.

Certainly Queen Clarion would never act in such a manner, but apparently the curse effectively buried the queen's perfect propriety under its haze spell.

Hartley Winter had called to find out if she and her girls were okay. He also learned that Penny was at the Kensington household.

"I'm so glad to hear that," he said. "I have been trying to reach her all day."

"She came over last night during the storm," Claire replied. "She must have been scared inside that empty house where she lives."

Their conversation continued for several more minutes at the end of which she quietly whispered, "I love you, too, Hartley," into the receiver. Vidia wasn't trying to listen in on their private conversation, but it wasn't hard to do in the confines of the kitchen. When Claire reclaimed the bowl of whisked eggs, she had a visible spring to her step, a smile on her face and she started to hum a happy tune. Vidia didn't know what it was, but it sure seemed to fit Claire's mood.

**~O~**

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

Every visit to the mainland was a gift. One which Periwinkle relished each winter season. But the rest of the year was a dreary slog.

"There has to be someone over there that understands," Peri mused, looking across the vast tundra and into the distant realm of the warm weather fairies. One day, she asked Sled if she could watch the animals cross the border into the warm side.

"It's not allowed," he told her. "No contact with warm fairies. Not even face to face. That's the law. We only take them to the edge of the forest and the animals go the rest of the way on their own."

She was devastated by that response. She knew the rule, but to be denied even such a simple thing as just looking across the border and seeing a warm fairy seemed a terrible fate. "The Winter Woods might as well be a prison."

She followed Sled back into the frozen landscape that was her home when she heard chatter from the other side. Periwinkle hid among the branches of a pine tree that overlooked the border crossing. She watched with stunned amazement. "Warm fairies!" she nearly squealed. She had to keep her voice down. By doing this she was breaking the law. Periwinkle cautiously looked over her shoulder for Sled. He could not know about this. No one could.

Confirming she was alone, Periwinkle turned her attention back to the glorious site that was acted out right before her eyes, as if it were a play just for her own entertainment. The animals darted over the bridge, which was made of a stout tree root. Surprisingly, their winter coats vanished the instant they left the cold temperatures of the winter season. Periwinkle had no idea that these magnificent creatures possessed brown fur outside of the cold weather.

"Amazing!" she silently declared. A gigantic grin spread across her face.

A cheery looking fairy dressed in pants and a blouse greeted the animals as they entered the Autumn Forest. Her clothing was mélange of oranges and browns. Her dark hair was long and twisted into the loveliest braid. "Hi, guys. Good to see you again. How was your nap?" she said as a way of greeting the furry creatures that bounded into that miraculous world.

Periwinkle smiled. An animal fairy. The first warm fairy she had ever seen. A second later the warm fairy was joined by another, a sparrow man. "Hi, Buck," the fairy greeted her companion.

"Everyone make it across?" he asked her.

"They are all accounted for."

"Okay, Fawn. Let's go."

_Buck and Fawn. What wonderful names, I wonder what they mean._

The little frost fairy was giddy beyond belief. Her excitement nearly boiled over. She had to contain it until she could return to her home. There Periwinkle dove under her covers and squealed with sheer joy, her legs kicking in the air uncontrollably as she did. It was only a moment, but what a moment. To see warm fairies, to taste the air which was crisp, not frozen. To smell that sweet perfume from the other side. She didn't know what it was, but Periwinkle loved it. It left a lingering, fruity taste in her mouth.

_But what kind of fruit?_ Now she wanted to know what it was and she wanted to sample it.

More questions than answers, but who cared. A triumph. "That was wonderful! It was amazing!" Then she stopped. She had a revelation. "They look just like us!" She didn't know why, but for the longest time Periwinkle thought that warm Never Fairies would somehow look markedly different. Different in a way that let them live comfortably in the warmer climate. But no, they were exactly the same in every respect. Perhaps next time, she would cross over when no one was looking.

Her wings might break, though. That's what Lord Milori always told her.

"I'll just visit for a few minutes," she told herself. "A few minutes couldn't hurt. I'll collect a few leaves and find out what that sweet scent was. I'll be back before anyone notices."

"Hey! Periwinkle! Here you are!" Spike said, trying to sound annoyed, but failing badly. "Come on. Everyone is at the pond. Our winter work is done. Let's go have some fun."

"YEAH!" she chirped happily. "Race you to the pond."

Spike was nearly bowled over by her friend. "Whoa! What got into her? Maybe she's been hanging around Gliss too much."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Both Vidia and Claire heard it. The noise from the living room. A tussle. Both raced into the front room and found Tina and Penny locked in a mad fight. They were pulling each other's hair and shaking the other violently.

"What is going on here?" Claire yelled.

Instantly both girls stopped what they were doing and looked at the older woman with astonishment and fear. It was as if neither had thought that their actions would bring down the fury of Claire Kensington upon them. It was an arrogant presumption.

"What did I tell you about roughhousing indoors?" Claire said with a booming voice. Vidia expected Claire to levy a huge punishment against both. Yet Claire seemed to understand that this would change nothing between the young girls because the next thing she said was, "Let me join in!"

Her scowl turned into a giant grin as she dove into the pair. She roared like a lioness and tumbled onto the ground taking Penny and Tina with her. The tussle instantly turned into a makeshift game of friendly wrestling.

Penny and Tina were surprised, but relieved.

Vidia was surprised, but horrified. "What are you doing? You're the queen. The queen doesn't do this!"

A hand reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the scrum. Suddenly all three turned against her. They tumbled around on the ground, screeching, screaming and in general having a good time. Vidia was outnumbered, but quickly the tide turned. In moments the three younger girls turned on Claire. She grabbed Vidia and Tina in half nelson holds, but Penny leapt on her back and brought all three to the floor.

They laughed and squealed and roared and hooted with fun and joy. The wrestling match evolved into a game of tag. Claire was first. She chased the girls, randomly going after whoever was closest until she managed to tag Penny. "No tag backs!" Claire declared.

"No problem." Seconds later Penny found Tina and tagged her "it."

"No tag backs," Penny told her. Vidia was the next victim, but not for long. She chased Penny and Claire before finally leaping over the sofa to tag Penny who quickly touched Claire.

Almost forty five minutes passed before the three girls and mother flopped onto the floor in exhaustion. The game of tag had turned into a round of hide and seek, which itself turned into another game of wrestling. The three girls and mother were gasping for breath as they laughed. When they crawled onto the sofa, Claire grabbed Tina and Valerie and held them tight, kissing both on the forehead. Then she put her arm around Penny and did the same, putting a matronly kiss on her head.

Claire's gambit worked. Tina and Penny so enjoyed themselves that they had forgotten or perhaps no longer cared why they had been fighting. They had so much fun together the two girls almost immediately picked up where they left off.

"So, you want to start making that thing tomorrow?" Tina asked the younger platinum blonde.

"Yeah! Do you still have the plans?"

Tina bit her lip, hating to admit it, but she had kept the designs and drawings in her room. She was unable to be rid of them. The teen dearly enjoyed her collaborations with Penny and couldn't completely separate herself from those good times.

"Great. See you after school in the backyard?"

"Yeah, sure!"

Tina peered over at her older sister. "This is going to be so much fun."

* * *

**Thank you for reading. One more chapter to bring episode 10 to a close.**


	117. Chapter 117

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 12**

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

Periwinkle had planned to return to the border when the animals returned for the winter hibernation. However, she was still having so many problems with her shapes that it slipped her mind until long after the animals had bedded down for winter. She berated herself for missing such a golden opportunity. Now it would be an entire year before she could watch them return from the world of the winter fairies.

Despite her failure, Peri was still excited. When the animals started their hibernation it meant that winter would soon be upon the mainland. She and her friends were going to return once again to that magical land of the humans. Their celebrations, decorations, colors, music. It was intoxicating.

The small group of frost fairies did their job bringing their aspect of winter to the cities and countryside of the mainland. More than even her friends, Periwinkle reveled in it. It was her love of this land. Something that the others did not share. One evening she separated from her comrades to listen to a group of children led by an adult in a strange, dark uniform sang in front of an open door.

_Silent night, holy night_

_All is calm, all is bright_

_Round yon Virgin Mother and Child_

_Holy Infant so tender and mild_

_Sleep in heavenly peace_

_Sleep in heavenly peace_.

It was the most beautiful song she had ever heard. Periwinkle knew it had something to do with the holiday season and the birth of the religious figure associated with it, but she didn't totally understand the meaning of the lyrics. However, it filled her with a kind of serenity she had never known. She sat near the choir as they sang many more songs. Some filled with awe and reverence, others joyful and wondrous. When the children had finished, the people listening at the door offered a handful of coins in thanks for the serenade.

The children and their caretaker moved to another house and began anew. The family inside listened intently to the songs before again offering currency in exchange. When Periwinkle rejoined her peers they were quite cross with her. "Where have you been?" Spike bellowed. "We've been worried sick about you."

"I just heard the most amazing music!" With great enthusiasm she related her experience to Spike, Gliss and Slush who had been helping them look for the wayward fairy.

"Those are carolers," Spike informed her. "They're probably kids who go to school at the Church. The woman in black was a nun. Now c'mon. We're behind schedule as it is."

"A nun? What's that?"

"Peri!"

"Okay. I'm coming."

Throughout the night the fairies worked feverishly to complete their task. None got sloppy or slipshod in their work. Their talent was their life, doing it poorly was a disgrace. By early morning they had finished their quota and rejoined the other winter fairies so they could retire to the nearby campsite. When the sun peaked out from across the waters, Peri and her friends were exhausted from their shift. They had all but forgotten about the carolers. Forgotten all about Dr. Griffiths and his daughter. And they had forgotten about something else.

"FALCON!" someone screamed.

The peregrine falcon had once more come to London in winter to feast. It was looking for other birds and small prey. It found the fairies of the Winter Woods and descended upon them with lightning speed.

The little fairies all dressed in whites and blues scattered away from the falcon as quick as they could. Snowflake gave the order for her charges to find shelter and wait for the all clear to be sounded.

"Winter will have to wait," the Minister of Winter lamented as she watched the peregrine falcon dive out of the sky like a shooting star. Once more Peri, Gliss and Spike found their way into a nearby building. They were joined by Slush who, as always, appeared to be unnaturally calm. Despite the horror that went on outside he was as serene as ever.

"It's nature, man," he suggested.

Spike answered with, "Yeah? Well nature can kiss my wings."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE MAINE

"HOW DO I STOP THIS CRAZY THING!?" Vidia screamed. She careened down the street in a four wheeled contraption that Penny and Tina had built.

_"You like to go fast, right?" Tina had asked her earlier._

_"Yeah, of course. I'm a fast flying fairy," Vidia had replied with her usual snippy attitude. "Emphasis on fast."_

_"Great!" Penny chirped. "Then this will make your day."_

_The two girls unwrapped their contraption. They called it a downhill racer. It had no power except for a red cylinder on the back. "This is a fire extinguisher," Tina explained. "It has concentrated gases held under pressure inside. Grip the handle and they come out with great force."_

_"That force will act as a booster," Tina picked up from there. "The rider, that's you, will start out at the top of a hill. We push you down the hill and unleash the pent up gases inside this extinguisher. It will shove you down the hill faster than just the pull of gravity."_

_"Uh huh. You'll get to experience that grand feeling of moving very, very fast."_

_"Very, very, VERY fast!" Penny added to underscore the point._

_Tina pointed to a pair of levers that stuck up from just in front of the seat. "You control the racer with these." Pulling on the stick on the right turned the racer to the right. Pulling on the stick on the left turned the racer on the left. Pulling up on a lever which was mounted next to the seat applied a brake. Squeezing a grip and pulling it to the second position unfurled a makeshift drag chute which would help slow the racer during its descent._

_Then the two girls handed Vidia a helmet. "Here, you'll need this," Tina said._

_"Why?"_

_"It's just a precaution," Penny advised. "You probably won't need it."_

_Vidia quirked a suspicious eyebrow. As a fast flyer she never needed any kind of head gear to protect herself. "What's this thing on the side of it?"_

_"That's a helmet cam," Penny answered. "A Midland XTC 1080p HD It will record your downhill ride for all of us to enjoy later."_

_"But it's so little," Vidia observed._

_"It's the twenty first century," Penny replied. "Small is the new big."_

_"What does that even mean?"_

_"Just put on the helmet," Tina prodded. "Go ahead, you'll be fine."_

_"Yeah, and it'll be fun, too," Penny finished._

_Vidia was highly suspicious, but somehow the desire to experience speed overwhelmed her better judgement. She had not enjoyed flying fast, or just being fast, since waking in this human world._

_ Clarence arrived in his Pontiac Aztek and transported the three girls and the home built racer to the top of a hill in their suburban neighborhood. Vidia sat at the ready. The girls pushed her off and released the fire extinguisher to give her a boost. It was exhilarating. Until it wasn't._

"Release the drag chute!" Tina yelled. The Aztek drove alongside the downhill racer. Tina and Penny yelled helpful suggestions from the passenger windows.

"Next to your seat!" Penny shouted.

The helmet Vidia wore impaired her hearing. She couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Pull up on the lever! The lever!" Penny demonstrated with her hand, making a gripping motion and pulling upward.

Vidia heard something about a lever and interpreted the motion to mean something completely different. Instead of pulling up on the brake, she tugged on the left steering post. The racer instantly veered left, almost into the Aztek. Clarence braked hard to avoid hitting the downhill racer and running over its rider.

Vidia yanked right and the racer careened to the right. Back and forth she went, the racer fishtailing before Vidia got it back under control. That is, if you call shooting down a hill as your life flashed before your eyes, "under control."

At an intersection, a car pulled out and into her path. The driver never saw her coming.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY! GET OUT OF THE WAY! GET OUT THE WA-AY!"

Vidia yanked hard on the steering and slipped behind the car, barely missed it. Vidia was so close to the rear bumper she could see her own reflection in it. Safely beyond the intersection she unleashed a few unsavory human curses. Including one that she learned from Ruby which insinuated that the driver's parents were never married.

At least, that was what Ruby said it meant.

Clarence had to slow down to avoid hitting the car. When the intersection was clear he sped up to catch Vidia. He was surprised at just how fast the engineless racer was going. "What did you two do to that thing?" he asked the two girls. "It's flying like a bat of hell!"

Penny and Tina turned to each other. "Thanks!" they both said to Clarence. "Jinx!"

"Uh, you might want to wait on that," he told them. Not far ahead, the street was coming to an end. There was a cul-de-sac with one outlet. A hard right turn. "She really needs to pull up on that break."

The Aztek sped up to catch the racer. The speedometer pushed passed 35 mph and was nearing forty.

Vidia kept trying to push down on the brake pedal just like in the family vehicle. But there wasn't one here. The house at the end of the street was a red brick house with dormers and an attached garage. A nice, shiny car sat in the driveway. The lawn was lush and immaculately kept. A garden of rose bush plants lined the front of the house.

She was going to crash into it. The only other option was to plow into the car. A Mercedes-Benz, if she remembered her car nameplates correctly. Expensive cars didn't hurt any less than cheap ones, she reasoned.

Then she remembered. The brake was on the side. A lever. She yanked up on it and held on for dear life. The rear wheels squealed as they instantly stopped turning. The racer continued down the hill towards the red brick house and perfect lawn. The back end of the small race car buffeted as the wheels bounced over the asphalt. Smoke came off the rubber tires from the intense friction.

"She did it!" Tina yelled happily.

Vidia kept pulling up on the brake lever, the vehicle didn't slow as much as Vidia wanted. The squeezed on the grip and pulled up again. This time the racer jerked as the drag chute opened. It was actually an old table cloth Claire was going to dispose of. It still worked, now she was slowing down substantially. With the brake and the chute working in conjunction Vidia was able to stop the racer just as she reached the curb. A hard tap informed Vidia that the racer

When the Aztek drove up both Tina and Penny bounded out of the SUV and ran to the girl in the racer.

"Valerie!" Tina called, still using the Storybrooke name. "Val, are you okay?"

Vidia removed the helmet and cleared the hair from her face. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Val, you did it!" Tina said excitedly.

"Yeah, it felt like I was flying again," she replied happily.

"No, you did more than that," Penny continued.

"Did what?"

The two young girls stared at each other with silly grins. Then together they said, "You proved the invention was idiot proof! Jinx!"

"Yeah, I know it was so easy to… wa-ait a minute! Idiot proof? As in I'm the idiot who provide it?" Vidia was clearly becoming angry. She hopped up out of the seat, but instead of taking after the two girls she looked past them. "Uh oh."

"What?"

Tina and Perry turned around. Two vehicles were approaching. One was the Sheriff's cruiser, the other was Claire's work truck.

Mrs. Kensington arrived first. She parked the truck and was out of the vehicle in one, seamless motion. "Are you girls alright?" she asked desperately.

"Yeah, were fine," Vidia replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I made it down just fine."

"THEN WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Claire screamed, her tone instantly shifting from concern to anger. She tore into Tina and Penny for putting together this dangerous stunt. Then she yelled at Vidia for participating and encouraging them.

Sheriff Swan was just as mad. She learned of their little jaunt when a vehicle nearly collided with the racer. "He came out of that intersection up the hill and nearly crashed into you."

Claire became furious. "You were nearly killed? Are you mad? Valerie, you're an adult. You should know better."

Sheriff Swan impounded the downhill racer and had Clarence remove it to her office. Claire barked her own orders. "Tina, Valerie. Into the work truck. March! Penny. Clarence will take you home. From now on Tina you will not see Penny except under my supervision until you can prove to be more responsible."

It was an unhappy end to their collaboration. On the other hand, they did capture the images on Valerie's helmet cam. Something to relive again and again.

* * *

**Okay, I know I promised just one more chapter, but it got too long so... _just one more chapter_.**


	118. Chapter 118

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 10, Chapter 13**

* * *

THE MAINLAND (The Late Victorian Era)

Trapped inside the attic of a pub Gliss, Periwinkle, Spike and Slush waited. The Peregrine Falcon which had invaded the London airspace had not yet yielded. It displayed great patience, sitting atop a perch watching for a wayward fairy to pick off.

Gliss talked almost nonstop, blathering on about everything and nothing. Spike paced relentlessly in midair frustrated with the situation and having no way of resolving it. Meanwhile Slush maintained his calm while sitting cross-legged and chanting repeatedly.

"Ommmh… Ommmh," he droned on.

"Oh would you stop, already," Spike admonished. Ironically his chanting, which was intended to help Slush center himself, was driving her mad.

"Why don't you join me?" he asked her. Spike glared at him.

Periwinkle, on the other hand, spent the time constructively by practicing her frost shapes. "I can do this," she encouraged herself. She tried to form a complex shape in delicate ice crystals. It would come together nicely, but then would fall apart at the very last second.

"Oh…, I can't do this!"

"Don't harsh your mellow, man" Slush advised. "Stay calm and keep trying."

Periwinkle took in a deep breath or two and began anew. As before it fell apart just as it was coming together. Slush, seeing the despair in her face, sat next to her. He made a sculpture of Peri from ice showing how frustrated she looked. Unfortunately, this backfired. Instead of teaching her to maintain her calm it made Periwinkle more upset. Slush had mastered this amazing ability, so why couldn't she?

"Get a detailed image in your mind, then make the frost take the shape that you see," Slush advised.

Working from that suggestions she tried to form an image and then recreate it in frost. She still failed to hold the frost together. At first she couldn't understand what the difficulty was. After many more failed attempts, though, it dawned on her. Every complex image in her mind was not fully formed. If she couldn't see the shape in its entirety it wouldn't hold together. She confided in Slush what she had learned.

"Now that you know the problem," Slush explained, "the solution will present itself."

"But that _is_ the problem," she answered him. "I can't put all the details together in my head. I'm always missing something. I can never see every single detail."

"What are you thinking about?"

"What I've seen in the Winter Woods," she replied. "Or here on the mainland. No, that's not entirely true. I'm thinking about what I'm missing by being a winter fairy. I want to know what it's like in the warm season. I want to see those beautiful colors. I don't want to feel like a prisoner anymore."

"You must first accept who you are," Slush told her.

"But I don't want to accept who I am, I want to be something else," Periwinkle answered. "I know that sounds awful."

He shook his head. "We all want to know what lies beyond."

"You do? All of you?"

"Yeah, Peri," Gliss told her.

Even Spike admitted that she was initially frustrated with being confined to the winter season. "Learning to appreciate who we are grounds us."

"Right, man," Slush continued. "How can you grow beyond yourself if you don't what 'yourself' is?"

Periwinkle smiled. That actually made sense. But how could she do that when she forever longed to be what she wasn't? The smile faded from her lips. Periwinkle drifted to the air vent in the tall, pointed gable. She noticed that the blue sky was turning a deep crimson. It was evening now. More than ever she felt depressed. She was lost, not able to live comfortably in her own world and denied entry into the world just across the border. What was she to do?

As she pondered her fate, Periwinkle heard something from the street below. It was singing. The very same singing she heard the previous night. The children were nearby, caroling.

_Silent night. Holy night._

Oh that song, those voices, it made her feel at peace. She listened intently. Her mind began to drift away. She pictured her winter world. For years she felt only anger, frustration and despair when looking at her own realm. But as the children sang and the song wended its way into her mind and soul, Periwinkle didn't see everything she hated. For the first time, she could find what was good about her season.

Snowflakes. Each was unique and distinct. No two were ever alike. And they each looked beautiful.

The bison. Huge and powerful creatures. Yet graceful in their strides through the snow.

Snowy Owls. Enormous predatory birds that helped the fairies. They were utterly majestic in flight.

Ferns. Plants with the most bizarre flat leaves that looked like dozens of green icicles sticking out from each stem.

Pine trees. Towering trees with needles for leaves and which the humans used for their holiday.

Periwinkle then thought of the pond where she and her friends gathered every year after returning from bringing winter to ice skate and have snowball fights. The nearby slopes allowed them to experience the freefall sensation while sledding. Periwinkle always shouted with such glee whenever she went sledding with her friends.

Her friends. Oh her friends. Where would she be without them? They accepted her, helped to teach the skill behind her talent. They gave her a shoulder to cry on, a hug to lift her spirits and a smile while sharing in her hobbies.

"I know who I am now," Periwinkle murmured to herself confidently. "I am a frost talent and my home is the Winter Woods." Peri realized she could yearn for the warm seasons without divorcing herself from her own world. She closed her eyes and in her mind's eye imagined what she intended to form out of frost. She put all of her effort into the tiniest details. Then she set about pulling moisture from the air around her. She froze it into ice crystals one upon the other. Soon what she beheld in her mind was now a fully formed construct made entirely of frost.

"Look! I did it!" Periwinkle announced. Slush, Gliss and Spike all looked at her. Spike and Gliss stood eyes as wide as saucers. Slush smiled and nodded his approval. They were looking at a perfect recreation of a winter bison. Every detail from its horns to its individual strands of hair was rendered in delicate ice crystals.

The three companions were floored. Even the normally placid Slush let out a "whoa!" when he first glimpsed Periwinkle's construct.

Peri smiled. A moment ago she found her place in the world. Now she felt as if she had fully been accepted among her peers. The conflict within her heart was gone. The desire she had to visit the other side of the border was no longer a distraction. It was now a healthy dream. Something grand to which she could aspire.

**~O~**

A few minutes later the all clear was sounded. The falcon had abandoned its roost. Quickly the fairies regrouped outdoors. It was getting very late. The falcon had held them hostage for the entire day. They wouldn't have time to sleep before returning to their overnight duties. Snowflake, the Minister of Winter, was working with the talent guild overseers to get around that. Exhaustion would be an issue. Most of the winter fairies were too nervous to sleep comfortably and were visibly drained.

No sooner had all the fairies checked in did the falcon emerge from its hiding place. The peregrine had flown away, but had not given up on the hunt. Instead, it let the fairies exit on the pretense that it was safe. Now they were out in the open again. Exposed to its high speed hunting dive.

The peregrine falcon rocketed down from the darkening sky and careened toward a group of fairies among whom were Gliss, Spike, Slush and Periwinkle.

"Back inside, back inside," Spike yelled. She and her friends tried to duck and cover, all except Periwinkle who just stayed put. Spike reasoned she was petrified with fear again. Peri was the youngest of the group and had little experience with predators. She reached out to grab her friend and pull her away from the diving raptor. Peri, however, did not yield.

Instead, Periwinkle ascended to meet the diving falcon. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. The falcon was almost upon her. Only one or two seconds remained before she became its meal.

"Peri! Fly!" Gliss shouted. She did not comply. In what seemed to be a moment of sheer madness Periwinkle lifted her arms to the sky. In a burst of fairy dust Periwinkle grasped the moisture from the air and crafted a giant bird made entirely of frost. It was a gigantic Snowy Owl with wings fully spread and appearing as menacing as she could make it.

The very site of this massive predator appearing out of nowhere frightened the Peregrine Falcon. It pulled out of its dive and veered away from the giant frost bird, flying away as fast as its wings could carry it.

Spike was left slack jawed. Gliss grabbed Periwinkle and hugged her with great delight. "That! Was! AMAZING!" she crowed. "How did you do that?"

Slush put a hand on Periwinkle's shoulder and nodded his approval. "Way to go, man," he told her.

Snowflake, the Minister of Winter, approached Periwinkle with eyes as big as saucers. "Did you create that form? That… that… thing?"

"Uh…, yes, Minister," Periwinkle answered, almost reluctantly.

"That was foolish, reckless and dangerous," Snowflake berated. "It was also bold, heroic and astounding. You have saved us from that creature without causing it harm. A true mark of a fairy in tune with nature. Well done, young one. Well done."

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Whoa! That was intense!" Penny remarked. She, Tina and Vidia were sitting in front a laptop watching the video recorded during the downhill excursion. They had just viewed the part where Vidia barely missed impacting the vehicle that emerged from the intersection.

"You were so close," Tina gasped. "How did you do it? How did you not hit it?"

"Yeah!" Penny joined in, "how?"

"Sorry, girls," Vidia replied smugly, "it's an ancient talent guild secret."

"Awe!"

"What?"

"Boo!"

"Tell us!"

"Yeah, we want to know."

"Okay, okay. It was simple. I leaned over," she answered. "It made the racer turn harder."

Both girls just stared at each other, mouths agape. "Did you put that in there?" Tina asked Penny.

"No. Did you?" Penny asked Tina.

"No."

The girls stared at Vidia and exclaimed, "Awesome!"

"Yeah, we didn't engineer that in," Tina told her.

"How did you know?" Penny asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," she told them with a wry grin. In truth, Vidia simply got lucky, but she wasn't about to tell them that. She preferred to maintain the mystery of her success. Perhaps the most satisfying thing for Vidia is that for the next few days both girls followed her around like she was a god, pestering her for this elusive information.

She enjoyed it thoroughly.

**~O~**

* * *

THE WINTER WOODS (The Late Victorian Era)

Flush with her success Periwinkle returned home and proceeded to form some of the most amazing frost shapes the winter fairies had ever seen. She committed to memory the tiniest details of the plants and animals of her realm and replicated them with exquisite accuracy in frost. In her hands, frost became as much a medium of sculpture as ice was to a glacier talent. Above all her creativity was now unleashed and she astonished everyone with her vivid and ingenious imagination.

Lord Milori, who typically maintained a serious and dour countenance, was himself surprised when his own lips cracked a smile. He was pleased for the young one. She had arrived with great potential but never seemed able to live up to it. Now she had finally unlocked her talent to its fullest and their appeared to be no ceiling to what she could accomplish.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Up next, Episode 11, the Superbowl and a hint at a major shake up for our favorite fairies.**


	119. Chapter 119

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 1**

**The events in this and the following chapters take place before, during and after the events of Episode 11 titled "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree."**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Now I know you can do better than this," Misty Wen told her supplier. Misty, the manager of Dave's Fish and Chips, was at the docks trying to acquire the best and freshest catch of the day. The workday for her was just beginning. The early light of dawn was still a full hour away, yet here she was haggling with one of the boat owners / fishermen that operated from the docks, her last visit this morning after buying shrimp, crab, lobsters and mussels.

Most of the fish what was caught was sold to the cannery. Many of the other restaurants in town were supplied by that factory. Misty refused to settle for that processed slop. Purchasing the freshest, highest quality seafood right from the boats that caught them could make or break a business like Dave's. Misty knew this and was adamant that the restaurant in her care wouldn't fail under her watch.

"This is it," the man told her. "This the best I can do."

The man was Foster Bellamy and he captained a small fishing boat named _Black Sam_ after the dread pirate Samuel Bellamy whom Captain Bellamy claimed as a distant ancestor, though the claim may have been dubious. Captain Bellamy was a somewhat short and stocky fellow who always wore the same red knit cap on his head.

When the two first met Misty took him for the scoundrel he was. She knew getting him to abide by any agreement would be difficult. So to force things into her favor she found his weakness and exploited it whenever Bellamy tried to cheat her with a less than desirable product.

"Now, Captain, we had an agreement, remember?" she reminded him. "Or as you called it, an accord."

"And I am living up to that accord," he answered.

"I'm not a sailor or a fisherman, but even I can tell that these fish aren't fresh," Misty said with a firm voice and a scowl. "Now if you don't want to honor our accord any longer then I'll gladly take my business elsewhere. And I'm sure whoever becomes my new supplier will be just as happy to take this off my hands."

This was where she manipulated him. Misty pulled from her classic Volkswagen Type 2 Double Door Panel Van Minibus a Styrofoam cooler with a New England Patriots logo on the side. She placed the cooler at his feet and removed the lid. Inside were four bottles of the finest rum available in Storybrooke. Rum was his weakness. The one thing she could always count on to make Bellamy adhere to their contract.

She then flipped over the lid to reveal a plain brown bag attached via Scotch tape which contained his payment. Misty Wen was paying the man under the table to hold back the very freshest and best of his catch just for her. It was how things were done on the docks. Restaurant managers and chefs all played this game with the fishermen at the docks and the growers at the local farmers' market. All of it was done off the books and all of it was done with the "approval" of the owners who willingly looked the other way. Every store wanted an advantage over their rival restaurants and this is was how they did it. Misty added the rum to keep the fisherman from selling to another diner, like Granny's.

Captain Bellamy began to salivate as he looked over the bottles of rum in the cooler. "Oh yes, I forgot. I did indeed put aside something just for you."

This was more like it. Bellamy presented her with several boxes full of just caught fish packed in ice that were so fresh one might swear they were still moving. The boxes were loaded into her minibus and Manager Misty Wen drove back to her restaurant pleased that she had been able to acquire such a superior haul. Now her restaurant could continue to live up to its slogan "The Freshest Catch In Town."

**~O~**

As the sun rose residents began to survey their town and took an accounting of the damage done by the fierce storm. The family in one home found that their television no longer worked properly. The colors were skewed with green on the bottom and red on top. In their backyard a tree had taken a direct strike from a lightning bolt (this also explained the malfunctioning television set). The tree was burned badly along the trunk down to the ground. The old tree had to be taken down as the damage was severe. It would have died on its own and could have threatened the house were it to fall.

This saddened the residents of this home as it held many special memories for them. The middle aged couple had once declared their love for each other under its leaves many years ago when they were just teenagers. Their children climbed its trunk and swung from its branches on tire swings. A stray cat was even rescued from it once. They adopted it and gave the hungry creature a home.

Those long and pleasant memories were always kindled by the sight of this tree. Now it would be lost forever. They hoped, however, that those memories would endure.

Elsewhere, the storm had nearly dashed the hopes of a young boy that lived in town. Henry Mills was set to join Emma at the shore by his "castle," an old wooden playhouse. As he approached on his bike, Henry noticed that the playhouse had been nearly knocked down. He raced to the base of one of the timbers and began digging in the sand. Underneath was a metal strong box which held his precious book _Once Upon A Time_.

Emma was incredulous that he would keep it here and not under his bed or in her possession. "That's exactly where the evil queen would look," he told her in reply.

It was at this moment that Mayor Regina Mills, Henry's adopted mother, drove up in her luxury Mercedes-Benz. She was furious with Sheriff Emma Swan. From where the mayor stood, the new sheriff was letting Henry play in a dangerous area. She was concerned that Emma wasn't being responsible enough.

"You're the sheriff now, Ms. Swan," Regina told her. "You need to learn your place in Storybrooke or else you won't have one."

This made Emma furious. Something she let Mary Margaret know when they met for coffee at Granny's a few minutes later. "Me not responsible enough?"

"She's just jealous because you and Henry have a place to call your own," the school teacher advised. At that moment Mary Margaret received a text message to meet David at "their special place." Emma didn't see the text, but she knew who it was. Mary Margaret was terrible at covering her tracks.

When Ms. Blanchard left the table, Sydney Glass slid into the empty chair. "I know something about the mayor," he told Emma. Glass had been drinking heavily and was clearly drunk. Emma didn't want to talk to him, he was the lead reporter for the local paper and the author of many hatchet jobs aimed squarely at her.

"Not anymore," he informed the new sheriff. "She got me fired." Ever since losing the election for sheriff Mayor Mills pulled strings and was able to have Sydney Glass removed from the newspaper entirely. He wanted to get back at her almost as much as Emma did.

Swan declined his offer, but he gave her his card in case she changed her mind.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

"Here we go." The genie of the lamp could hear the footsteps come closer. He knew what this meant. Another person with dreams to turn into wishes. Seconds later, the magic of lamp pulled the genie out in a puff of smoke and there he stood before a man dressed in fine clothing and wearing a crown.

"I am the genie of the lamp. You may have three wishes," he said introducing himself. The genie, who possessed a dark complexion and a weary countenance, informed the man that his wishes had limitations. No killing someone, no bringing back the dead, he couldn't make anyone fall in love and lastly once a wish had been granted it couldn't be undone. Genie spoke these cautions as though he had spoken them a thousand times before. And indeed he had and was clearly tiring of it.

The man, who was a king by the name of Leopold, thought for a moment. Happily the king told him, "I have all that my heart could desire." He had no need of the genie's wishes.

"Nothing?"

"No. But tell me, Genie, what would you wish for?"

The genie had never been asked such a question. For all his existence he had been held captive by the lamp. Now his only desire was to be free from it.

"Then that is my first wish," King Leopold, declared. "I wish you to be free."

A stunned by truly grateful Genie granted the wish. The bracers which marked him as a slave to the lamp fell from his wrists. Though he still possessed his magic, no longer was he a servant to the desires of other men. Well, he wouldn't be once the king's last two wishes had been granted.

Leopold, wanting nothing, used his second wish to bestow the third wish on the genie for him to use as he pleased. Yet despite this wondrous turn of events the genie was hesitant to use it for his own gain. He had granted one thousand and one wishes as the genie of the lamp and each time the end result was a disaster for the wish maker. The wishes ultimately had unforeseen consequences which did far more harm than good. All that Genie wanted now to make his life complete was the love of a good woman.

The king was most understanding. Leopold invited Genie to his castle telling him that perhaps he might find love there. At the grand castle of his kingdom, Leopold introduced Genie to his beloved daughter Snow White. She was a lovely young woman with raven black hair and a disposition as pure as the snow she was named for.

Then King Leopold introduced Genie to his wife, Regina. Regina was Leopold's second bride. His first died of an ailment some years before when Snow was but a child. When Genie's eyes fell upon the woman he was absolutely taken with her. Though she was the wife of another man, Genie adored Regina from that very moment onward and desired her more powerfully than anything he had ever desired before.

**~O~**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Georgian Era on the mainland)

"So, you're the new initiate?" Marianna asked. Marianna was a water fairy and a guild trainer. She had a fair complexion and blonde hair which she kept cut to just below shoulder length. The person she was addressing was a recently arrived water talent named Silvermist.

The young woman smiled and nodded. Silvermist, who had only arrived two months before, was of Asian descent and sported long, thick black hair, and a broad face with a loveable if somewhat vacuous smile.

"I'll be your instructor, Silvermist. You may address me as Master or Teacher. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Marianna quirked a disapproving eyebrow.

"I mean, yes, Teacher. Sorry." Silvermist blushed after her first blunder.

"Very well. Silvermist, I demand much from my students and I expect you to study very hard and excel at everything I teach you. If I find that you are ignoring me or your practices or are engaged in idle activities when you should be studying there will be severe penalties. Do I make myself clear?"

Silvermist was eyeing a cute fish in the nearby pond. It had caught her attention with its endearing smile and playful demeanor.

Marianna responded by roughly grabbing the distracted water fairy by the arm. "I said, do I make myself clear?!"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. What did you say again?" Silvermist asked with a sweet as pie tone in her voice.

Right away Marianna knew this one was going to be trouble. Easily distracted, lack of focus, too nice for her own good. The water talent instructor was going to whip this lost cause into shape no matter how difficult it would prove to be. Marianna was the water talent guild's best initiate instructor and she wasn't going to let even this bubble headed whelp tarnish her sparkling reputation.

"No, you weren't paying attention, were you? Well I am not going to repeat myself. I expect to have your full and undivided attention at all times when you are under my instruction. So you had better figure out what I said or you will fail. And I do not accept failure."

"Um…, okay. Can I play with the fish now?"

"No! Class. Begins. Now."

* * *

**Captain Foster Bellamy is Mr. Smee from the _Once Upon A Time_ universe. Mr. Smee did not appear until season 2 and has never been addressed by his Storybrooke name, so I had to make one up. **

**Samuel Bellamy was an actual pirate who earned the nickname Black Sam. Bellamy, an Englishman, operated as a pirate during the 18th century. His career lasted barely one year before being killed at the age of 28, however he managed to capture more than 50 ships in that short span of time and was the wealthiest pirate on record at the time of his death.**

**The Genie in the flashback is Sydney Glass in Storybrooke. Misty is quite obviously Silvermist.**


	120. Chapter 120

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 2**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The morning crew at Dave's Fish and Chips was busy cutting vegetables, cooking pasta, boiling water for soup, gutting and deboning fish and doing all the other prep work for the midday rush. Dave's opened at 10:30 to serve lunch and stayed upon until nine serving dinner. The storefront was split into two distinct areas. A family dining restaurant on one side and a sports bar which closed at midnight on the other. This configuration was a major accomplishment considering that the establishment was located in a shopping strip on Storybrooke's Main Street where space was always at a premium.

The kitchen was cramped, as usual, with chefs and cooks crowded into their own small spaces. Misty's attitude toward fresh fish off the docks wasn't the most efficient but it did mean the best tasting seafood in town. It was this fact of which she was the most proud. Her first few months working as the manager didn't always go so well. Despite knowing her work, Ms. Wen had to earn the respect of her coworkers in her new position and convince them that her way of doing things was worth the effort.

Beginning as a dishwasher she worked her way up to store manager. This meant she and the other employees were good friends, but now as their supervisor she couldn't always be the "friendly" person. It was her responsibility to get the best out of everyone. Misty's personality leaned towards being nice and pleasant, something which the others found endearing. She brought a similar approach to her work as the store manager and tried to keep her workers happy and in the right attitude. She trusted that her crew members were responsible adults and professionals. They responded favorably to that conviction. However, there were those few moments when she had to get tough and when she did it stood out.

Misty knew this could cause irreparable harm to her relationships with her friends, but as manager she couldn't put friendship above work. It would mean that Dave's would suffer and she could lose her job. (Her subordinates could also lose their jobs, too. A fact she regularly pointed out to them when she had to be their boss rather than their friend.)

"Good work, Mickey. Nice job," she would comment.

"A little faster, Darlene. Time is against us this morning and every morning," she told someone else in her kitchen.

"You're all doing fine. Keep moving, and don't slow down."

This was how she spent her mornings. Her workers respected for several reasons. First was her previously mentioned confidence in them. Second was her work ethic, which perpetually exceeded everyone else's. Third, she found ways to get the best out of her people and it was a satisfying moment for both each time it happened. Forth, Misty took the time to properly recognized success and reliability among her crew. It inspired everyone to feel good about their efforts. Lastly, Ms. Wen was never above diving in and helping out.

The previous manager of Dave's lost the respect of the workers when she considered putting down chairs or filling the salt and pepper shakers to be "beneath her pay grade." Misty, by contrast, was more than willing to do what had to be done for the restaurant to operate properly and open on time. She swept and mopped floors, bussed tables, washed dishes, cleaned the bathrooms, cooked, cut, served plates, anything so the crew wouldn't fall behind. She was a doer as much as a manager and her people saw Misty as one of them.

Whenever someone asked where she lived, Ms. Wen without fail would respond "Dave's." In fact, the restaurant felt more like home than her house. Misty was a very driven and focused young woman. Determined to make her way in the world through her own merit. She slept barely six hours a night and took only one day off a week. That day she usually spent at the restaurant reviewing crew shifts, weekly receipts and watching the large fish tank.

The tank, which was the centerpiece of the dining room, featured brightly colored fish that swam around seemingly oblivious to their environment. Each day off and whenever Misty had a little free time this was where she could be found. She enjoyed watching these lovely, little creatures dart about and interact with their watery world. Often she would get lost in their play and hours would pass before realizing how much time had passed. This was how she kept her head on straight, remaining focused and determined in her work.

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Georgian Era on the Mainland)

"Is your head on straight?" Marianna asked Silvermist. The instructor once again caught the young initiate who was lost watching the fish swim in the stream.

"Wh-? What?"

"What is wrong with you? Why can't you keep your focus?"

"Oh, well, the fish. They're so much fun to watch. I could stare at them all day."

"Yes. I can see that." Marianna sighed. "Have you practiced at all this week?"

"Of course. I think."

Marianna groaned. She was growing impatient with this young girl. Somehow Silvermist was the single most easily distracted initiate she ever had the misfortune of trying to teach. Her talent glow was quite bright and much was expected of her, but she wouldn't be able to do anything if the little airhead couldn't keep her mind on what she was doing.

"Alright, show me what you know," Marianna answered sternly.

Silvermist smiled that sweet innocent smile of hers. The young initiate waved her hands over the stream and a ball of water was pulled out of it. Sil was about to pull it into two smaller globes of water when Marianna waved her hands and caused it to pop and drain back into the stream.

"Again," Marianna scolded.

Silvermist tried again. The globe of water formed out of the stream and once again burst due to the instructor's interference.

"Again!" the instructor scolded a second time, this time louder.

The little Asian fairy pulled another sphere of water from the stream and split it into two smaller spheres and then into four even smaller ones before Marianna waved her hands and blew them up for a third time.

"Anything more?" Marianna huffed.

"I can't do anything more," Silvermist pouted. "You keep blowing them up?"

"I see? You think I'm not being fair?"

"No. You are not!" Sil declared.

"I asked you to show me what you have practiced and you did. It was pathetic," Marianna stated arrogantly. "There are initiates far younger than you and with far less talent who have accomplished more in less time. They are already putting dew drops on spider webs, helping fish to swim upstream to spawn, and at least one is now in the gardens irrigating Rosetta's flowerbeds. And all of them arrived long after you did."

To drive home her point Marianna shoved her face into Silvermist's and continued to berate her. "If you had practiced even a little you would have been able to hold those water drops without letting me shove them out of your grasp. But you can't even do that. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Um…, who's Rosetta?" Silvermist asked.

This reply infuriated Marianna to such a point that Marianna grabbed Silvermist's arm and twisted it, forcing the young girl to her knees. "You are going to learn whether you like it or not."

"You're hurting me," Silvermist complained.

"Do you submit that I am your master?" Marianna barked.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Answer! Do you submit that I am your master?"

"Yes!" Silvermist cried in agony.

"Do you acknowledge that you know nothing and I know everything?"

"Yes!" The little fairy's reply became more strained under the painful arm twisting.

"Do you acknowledge that I can have you thrown out of the guild for failing to learn what I teach you?"

"Yes!"

"Will you do all that I ask without question?"

"Yes! Yes!" Tears were now streaming down Silvermist's pretty face.

Marianna twisted Sil's arm even harder, making the young girl cry out. Then she added, "This is arm and its magic is mine now. And as it belongs to me it will be strong. You will do as I say until I tell you otherwise. There will be no complaining, no goofing off and no playing with the fish." She released Silvermist who immediately began to rub her arm and held it against her chest.

The instructor glided towards a hill and a set of steps that led up to a large and empty fountain with a wide basin. Marianna handed her a set of buckets strapped to either end of a twig.

"Each day you will fill these buckets and walk, not fly, walk them up those steps to that fountain where you will dump out the water," Marianna explained, her brow furrowed and her voice boiling over with anger. "This you will do until the basin has been filled to the marker."

"Okay! But why not just use fairy magic?"

"NO! NO QUESTIONS! Begin now!"

The lovely young initiate picked up the buckets and put the cross beam over her shoulders. She filled both buckets and began to fly to the basin.

"I didn't say fly," Marianna exploded. "You will climb every step each time you ascend this hill. And if you don't like how I am treating you, I'm sure the Tinkers would love to have someone help them do the useless busy work of tying knots and hammering nails. Now start climbing!"

Sil ascended the stairs, slowly at first and then with a bit more confidence began to run. Halfway up she stumbled and fell. The buckets tipped over spilling out all their water.

"Well don't just stand there, get some more," Marianna bellowed harshly.

Silvermist lifted into the air on her delicate wings as she returned to the stream. Marianna was incensed. "I SAID NO FLYING! NO FLYING! Get down here. Get! Down! Here!"

When Sil arrived at the feet of her instructor, Marianna grabbed a sticky spider web from a nearby plant and wrapped Silvermist's wings with it, effectively grounding her. "You are going to learn to listen to me even if it kills you," the instructor hissed into the girl's ears. "Now get back to work."

Sil slowly trudged back to the stream to refill the empty buckets before taking the stairs to the top of the hill. It was slow, tedious and mind numbing work. She eventually counted one hundred and fifty eight steps to the top of the hill and that it required one hundred and ten buckets of water to fill the basin, or fifty five trips.

By the time she had completed the task, Sil's feet felt as if she were stepping on razorblades, her legs were like jelly and her arms and shoulders had turned numb. Silvermist slowly approached her instructor who stood there watching as the hours passed by. "I'm done," Sil choked out. Her face and body sopping wet from sweating profusely and her eyes were puffy. Silvermist had broken down into alternating fits of pouting and crying during the last hour.

Marianna looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was still high. She flittered up to the top of the hill, pulled out a stopper and drained the entire basin dry. Marianna replaced the stopper, flitted back to a horrified Silvermist and said one and only one word to her.

"Again!"

Sil collapsed to the ground and began to bawl. "I can't do this anymore!"

"You will do this each and every day until I am convinced you are ready to learn," Marianna roared.  
"NOW, AGAIN!"

* * *

**NOTE: Parts of Silvermist's training session was inspired by Uma Thurman's "training session" in Kill Bill Vol. 2. Lucy Lui, who voices Silvermist, played O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill Vol. 1.**


	121. Chapter 121

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 3**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"You're late," David told Mary Margaret. She met him near the old toll bridge. He was obviously agitated.

"David, you're scaring me," she answered him. He brought her across the bridge and down towards the water that ran through the creek. She was more concerned than ever. "Late for what?"

Her answer was as plain as day. David had laid out a picnic along the banks of the creek, the same place where they had met after he woke up from his coma. It was a truly romantic gesture. One that warmed her heart like nothing before.

**~O~**

Emma met him inside a drainage pipe. Sydney was dressed in a trench coat and hat, she was wrapped in her Sheriff's jacket and knit hat. The cold winter air was made all the worse by the recent storm and pervasive humidity.

"Fifty thousand dollars," he told her. Sydney Glass had found evidence that Mayor Regina Mills had taken fifty thousand dollars from city funds for seemed to be personal reasons. Essentially, Sydney was implicating her in a crime.

Emma was not impressed. She needed more than that to go on. Sydney tried to push Emma into continuing the investigation. "Use your bag of bail bonds' tricks," he told her. "Follow her, plant a bug, something."

"I can't," she answered him. "I'm the sheriff now, I have to be more responsible."

Sydney pleaded with her. "This will finally show the townspeople who she really is, Emma."

"Tell me Sydney, if Regina is such a bad person, how did you get mixed up with her in the first place?"

"I used to think she was a different person."

* * *

**~O~**

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The young Queen Regina sat at the table while her husband, King Leopold extoled all manner of compliments upon his daughter, Snow during the girl's birthday celebration. He called her his greatest gift and described her as the fairest of them all, much like his dear departed wife.

Those words hurt. The queen quietly slipped from the room and went to the courtyard where she stood next to her beloved apple tree. A place where she came for solitude and escape. What she did not know was that someone had followed her.

Genie.

"I didn't think anyone would notice," Regina said when she saw him standing there.

"I noticed," he replied. He could see how pained she was. Regina finally admitted that as good as the king was to her, Leopold could never stop loving his dead wife. Regina would forever live in someone else's shadow and it left her feeling unloved and unwanted.

Genie could not believe this. He presented Regina with a small gift, a beautiful mirror so, as he told her, she could see herself as he saw her, the loveliest woman in all the land.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma and Sydney brought mounds of paperwork to the house that she shared with Mary Margaret, much to the surprise of Ms. Blanchard. There they poured over every page, every word from every box. And there were dozens of boxes with files from the city archives. What they were looking for was proof that Regina had indeed stolen that money.

Unfortunately, the file they needed was missing. Emma wanted to give up. Without that file her investigation would go nowhere. Sydney, however, refused to relent. He wanted Emma to go further, to go beyond the law. She refused him once more.

Then Mary Margaret chimed in, saying that if they were doing the wrong thing for the right reason it was still okay. Something that Sydney agreed with. Emma called it equivocating. Sydney pushed even further. "This is what she does to people, Emma. Regina destroys their lives. What she has done to you she does to everyone. She does to your son. If we get that file we can free this city from her grip, make it safe for people to live their lives. Safe for you to live with Henry without her getting in the way."

Just the mention of Henry in Regina's awful care was enough to push her over the edge, "Alright Sydney. You've convinced me. We'll do things your way."

The two went back to the archives and asked to see the missing file. What they discovered was that the file had been checked out by the mayor three weeks ago. When Emma and Sydney confronted her about it Regina all but mocked them.

"You checked out that file three weeks ago," Emma declared.

"Which I do from time to time, seeing as I'm the mayor. And if it was three weeks ago then it was destroyed..., in a fire..., which got you elected sheriff as I recall. Now Ms. Swan why don't you stop associating with this disgraced ex-reporter and get back to doing your job."

Sydney was convinced that this would turn Emma into a mad person, ready to do anything and everything to wring the information out of Regina. Instead, she simply left.

"Okay, that's it." Emma turned and left the office.

"Okay? That's it? You aren't going to do anything?"

"I did," Emma responded confidently. "I planted a bug."

**~O~**

Claire and her brood met with Hartley at Dave's Fish and Chips for lunch with Penny in tow. The Kensington family almost didn't make it today. Tina woke up feeling sick. Fortunately, her nausea cleared up by the time they left for the restaurant.

Vidia wasn't too keen on eating fish for lunch, or for any other meal for that matter. Although she had recently taken up eating other meats like beef, chicken and pork, she had been able to get passed her objections because those animals were not native to Pixie Hollow. Fish were a different story. They were the friends of every animal and water talent on the island. She could still picture Silvermist happily cuddling the baby fish as they learned to swim upstream.

As if that wasn't enough, Claire had become most excited about some contest called a "Super Bowl." She had remembered the term from her trial, but she never bothered to find out what it was. Now it was all Claire could talk about.

According to Tina, Claire was extra excited this year because the New England Patriots were back in the big game. She explained how four years earlier the Patriots had acquired wide receiver phenom Randy Moss from the Oakland Raiders and paired him with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. During the season Brady threw for a record fifty touchdowns leading the team to a perfect regular season and a berth in Super Bowl XVII.

Their opponent was the New York Giants led by quarterback Eli Manning, brother of Peyton Manning. The Giants had backed into the playoffs and won two stunning upsets over teams with better records to get to the Super Bowl. The 2007 New England Patriots were billed as the greatest team in NFL history and were picked as the overwhelming favorites to win the championship game, becoming only the second team in NFL history to complete a perfect season with a win in the Super Bowl. Only the 1972 Miami Dolphins had achieved that same feat albeit with a fourteen game regular season instead of a sixteen game season that was in use today.

The actual game was much tighter than expected as the defensive front four of the Giants put constant pressure on Tom Brady and disrupted New England's potent offense. With two minutes and thirty nine seconds remaining in the game the Patriots led 14 – 10. Starting from their own seventeen yard line the Giants needed a small miracle if they were going to drive for the winning score. They got it when, from their own 44 yard line on 3rd down and five, Manning threw a tall pass to receiver David Tyree who out jumped his defender and somehow grabbed the ball with one hand and lodged it between his hand and his helmet when he came down.

The catch netted New York 32 yards and soon after Eli Manning drove the team down the field, throwing a pass to receiver Plaxico Burress for what ended up being the game winning touchdown. The victory turned the NFL world upside down while New England Patriot fans were beside themselves in agony that a perfect season had come up short on the NFL's biggest stage against a team few thought deserved to win.

Now they were going to get a rematch. Both New England and New York were in Super Bowl XLVI. Receiver David Tyree was no longer with the Giants and this fact was repeated ad infinitum by Patriot fans who were still seething over his part in their improbable win four years ago.

Today, however, Claire was on a lunch date with Hartley and she promised not to bring up the subject of the Super Bowl unless he mentioned it. Vidia couldn't believe what she was seeing from the woman who was her queen. The anxiety, excitement, jitters and all around playful behavior was so at odds with what she knew of the Clarion. If the queen in Pixie Hollow was a sports fan she didn't let it show. While not perfectly stoic, Clarion always maintained her composer.

Claire, however, would sometimes grab Vidia or Tina, hug them tightly and squeal. "We're back in the Super Bowl. EEEEEE! Isn't that incredible?" she would say. "And this time we won't lose to some second rate quarterback or his Velcro headed wide receiver!"

Clearly she was still upset at the loss four years ago. If Vidia didn't know better, she might have assumed that Claire was out for blood.

**~O~**

Dave's restaurant was busy for lunch and the small group had to wait for what the hostess said would be about twenty minutes for a table. While waiting Vidia unintentionally heard some of the idle chatter from the other diners. Most of the talk was about the upcoming Super Bowl game. "These people are obsessed," she muttered to herself.

"You would be, too, if you were a football fan," Tina advised.

"How are you feeling?" Vidia asked. She was in the hallway when she heard Tina in the bathroom throwing up.

"I'm fine. Probably just something I ate."

"Okay. But if it happens in here, I don't know you."

Tina rolled her eyes and then shook her head at her sister's joke. At least, she thought it was a joke. Vidia looked quite serious. Valerie's personality may have changed since the motorcycle accident, but her snippy one liners were still intact.

"You were sick?" Penny asked.

"Yeah, but it's gone. A non-story," Tina told her closest friend.

At just after fifteen minutes a table was ready. Claire, Hartley and the three girls sat for lunch. Vidia perused the menu looking for something that wouldn't make her feel bad for ordering it. None of the species of fish listed were familiar to her, but she would still be able to picture their happy, smiling faces as if she were still in Never Land. Ultimately, she settled on a Caesar Salad with grilled chicken. If Vidia developed any qualms about the chicken she could just pretend it was the hawk on her plate.

_Serves him right, too_, she thought with a wry smile.

Claire and Hartley carried on a running conversation which she somehow managed to steer towards the upcoming Super Bowl game and then made it look like it was all his idea. Hartley was willing to talk about it, but it was obvious he wasn't a fan of American Football.

"I prefer what you Americans call soccer," he told Claire.

That one sentence nearly killed Claire. She stopped speaking with him most abruptly.

"Uh oh," Tina muttered.

"What?" Vidia asked.

"Mom doesn't know much about soccer," Tina answered. "She's pretty indifferent about it."

"So?"

"So…, she can't talk to him about something she doesn't know anything about," Tina replied.

"Mom can learn, can't she?"

"Not that easy. Mom has a passion for American sports. But soccer doesn't hold her attention. As far as she's concerned it's boring."

"And Hartley enjoys it."

"Exactly. This can't be good."

"So…, who do you think will win come Super Bowl Sunday?" Hartley asked Claire, trying not to offend her.

"New England, of course," Claire responded, almost indignantly.

Hartley nodded and smiled. "Yes, of course. How foolish of me to suggest otherwise. Do you intend to watch the game at home?"

"Absolutely," she replied. "Care to join us?"

"Oh, I think I would only be a distraction," he told her. "I do hope this won't dampen our lunch?"

"No… no, of course not," Claire answered with a bright smile. She turned to her girls and mouthed the words _nobody's perfect_ to them.

Tina was forced to hide her laugh behind the menu. Penny smiled. Vidia was just relieved that the courtship of Claire and Hartley didn't come to an ignominious end over something as silly as this game.

During this conversation, a waiter had placed a basket of breadsticks on the table. Vidia took one and began to nibble on it. Then a thought struck her. _Did Mom say "us?" As in her and Tina and me? I'm going to have to watch the Super Bowl?_

Vidia wanted to ask if she could stay with Hartley during the game. However, it would only disappoint Claire further. The two of them had been trying to forge some kind of a relationship. Claire, who wanted to repair a damaged one with her daughter; and Vidia, who felt a contentment she had never known before.

She sighed. _I guess it won't be that bad_, Vidia thought. _How long could it be, anyway? An hour? Ninety minutes?_ _That's what families in the human world do, right? Make sacrifices for each other?_

Another waiter came and took their order. When Vidia handed her menu to the young man she spied a woman with long, black hair staring longingly at the fish tank. She was there for just a moment. Then she disappeared into the kitchen. Yet it was long enough for Vidia to see a reflection of the woman's face in the glass. She couldn't be certain, but it easily could have been her.

"Silvermist?"

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Thank you for reading and thanks to everyone who has made this story a favorite or who is following it.**


	122. Chapter 122

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 4**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Henry was at Granny's hurriedly writing something. He was trying to write down all the stories from the book that was lost when his castle was torn down. Henry was so intent on trying to remember everything that he nearly blew off the tall stranger who was visiting town. The man admitted to being a writer himself, which was why he was in Storybrooke. He was looking for inspiration. The man grabbed a drink to go and left, but not before wishing the boy luck in finishing his writing.

**~O~**

Sydney Glass was bored to tears. The bug Emma planted in Regina's office picked up every conversation she had, but the business of running the city was not exactly scintillating. However, there was a telephone call of which he heard only her side in which Regina was to meet someone that evening to complete some sort of transaction. Emma was determined to be there and find out what it was all about.

**~O~**

Lunch ended on an upbeat note for Claire Kensington, who was willing to overlook Hartley's dislike of American Football. For Vidia the end of Claire's lunch date left her with more questions. She caught more glimpses of the woman who resembled Silvermist, but not enough to be certain. Fortunately, Vidia was no longer held hostage by her lack of driving ability.

Claire had been teaching her to drive and Vidia took every chance to practice. It wasn't exactly the same kind of freedom she enjoyed in Pixie Hollow, but it was better than nothing. Plus, she could listen to her favorite music while traveling, something no fairy could do back home. The only constraint to her "freedom" was that Claire insisted she have a licensed driver in the car until Claire felt safe to let her drive alone.

This meant Hartley, Penny or even Tina, though she only had a learner's permit, could accompany her. As they left, the former fast flyer was already scheming to come back and check on the woman she had seen working here.

**~O~**

Claire felt that her relationship with Hartley was moving forward well. They were now at the stage where she could comfortably bring her two girls along and not make either feel nervous. It was almost like they were becoming a family. Almost, but not quite.

Following their lunch date Claire and Hartley took a stroll down Main Street while Vidia drove Penny and Tina to do a bit of shopping at the local video game store. Vidia had no idea what to make of this store. One poster on the wall covered in posters showed an overly perfect looking women with impossibly huge bosoms toting an equally impossibly huge sword. Another had another perfectly formed female with giant bosoms in the skimpiest bikini possible trying to hit a volleyball.

Elsewhere were posters with insanely sculpted men wearing some kind of weird armor, or wielding massive guns that could not possibly be held with only one hand.

One in particular had a rather skinny, blonde male brandishing a massive blade that couldn't possibly be held with two hands much less one. And he was holding _two_ of them. "That's Cloud," Penny told her.

"Who?"

"Cloud Strife," Penny explained, as if that made any kind of sense. "From Final Fantasy VII?"

"Valerie doesn't play video games," Tina remarked.

"Oh right, the accident," Penny recalled. "No memories."

"No, she never really played games even before that," Tina clarified.

"LOOK!" Penny gasped. She grabbed Tina by the arm and yanked her to a bulletin board on the far wall. "A comic and video game convention is being held next weekend. Want to come?"

"Yeah," Tina said, a huge smile stretching across her face. She then leaned in closer to Penny and confessed that she always wanted to play video games, but her sister never cared to join her and Claire resisted buying any consoles because she wanted Tina to put homework first. "Well, that and I was always trying to fix or build stuff."

Penny nearly shot out of her Converse All-Stars. "You should come to my place. We can play all day long! I have every game system ever made. I even have a copy of _E.T. The Extra Terrestrial_ video game for the Atari 2600. And an Atari 2600 to play it on."

"Didn't that game kill Atari?" Tina asked. "Wasn't it buried in some trash pile somewhere?"

"Just a myth. In truth, Atari supersaturated their market and no one was buying new consoles," Penny informed her. "Plus, everyone wanted a game to promote their product or service or something and most of those were awful. That's what killed Atari and home gaming in the seventies."

Vidia strode up behind them. "What's 'GameCon Storybrooke'?"

"Oh nothing you would be interested in," Tina said with a sly grin.

"So, want to go in costume?" Penny asked her best friend.

"You mean 'cosplay'?" Tina asked, remembering the word used by Blake. "I don't know."

"It would be so awesome," Penny told her.

"Well, okay. But, just as long as it's not _My Little Pony_. I have issues with that one. Y'know, with boys dressing as little girl ponies."

"Yeah, I hate it when boys cosplay the ponies, too," Penny commented. "You would think they would grow up. Or at least realize they're boys and not girls."

"Right! Maybe their girl-boys?"

"Makes you wonder what they'll turn into when they get older."

Tina and Penny stared at each other, eyes big as both seemed to know what the other was thinking about that subject. "EEWWW!" they said together.

Then a wide smile cut across Penny's face. It was a mischievous smile with a daring twinkle in her eye. She nodded her head for Tina to follow her lead. Penny whispered, "Hey, let's see if we can get your sister to buy us one of those 'Adult' rated video games."

"Can't you buy them off the internet?" Tina asked.

"That's not the point. Let's have some fun with your sister."

"Oh, ri-ight!" Tina turned and slid up to Vidia who was trying to understand what a game about military conquest had to do with women in a chainmail bikini with gigantic breasts. "Val, could you help us with something?"

Vidia quirked a very suspicious eyebrow. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I suppose it's too much to ask of someone like you."

"You're right. So don't ask."

"Hey, you don't even know what we're going to ask," Tina spat. "It could be perfectly harmless and you wouldn't even know."

Vidia squinted at Tina and Penny. "Two words. Downhill! Racer!"

"Oh! Right!" Tina said, remembering how Valerie nearly drove smack into a car. "Well, trust us, this isn't going to be dangerous. Not in the slightest."

"Yeah," Penny added. "And we can help you practice driving without needing another person in the car."

A grin widened Vidia's face. "Tell me more."

"Well, all we need you to do is buy this video game for us," Penny told her. "We'll give you the money, but you need to pay for it."

"Why?" Vidia asked most suspiciously.

"Well, you see, there's this bunch of nosy busybodies who like to prop themselves up as moral guardians of the world and they won't let anyone under the age of eighteen buy certain video games because they think it will make us 'anti-social' or some such nonsense."

"Yeah," Tina continued. "We're not anti-social. Those stuffy old people just don't want us having any fun."

"Exactly. They grew up without video games and they don't want us to enjoy them, either," Penny said, stating her opinion as though it were fact. "So, buying this game will help us to fight against a small group of people..."

"Very small group," Tina added for emphasis.

"Yes. A very small group of people who have way too much time on their hands and keep sticking their noses in other people's business where they don't belong all because they want all of us to grow up to be as sour and grumpy..."

"...and lonely..."

"...and lonely as they are."

Vidia was not fully convinced. "And how will this help me to practice driving?"

Tina started the answer. "There is this game...,"

"It has a steering wheel and pedals..." Penny continued.

"So it's just like driving a car," Tina added.

"Uh huh. You can practice all you want from the comfort of your sofa," Penny finished.

"Sounds boring," Vidia answered.

"No!" the two girls shrieked together.

"It's actually very exciting," Penny described.

"You can drive like a maniac," Tina continued.

"...practicing driving in hazardous situations...," Penny furthered.

"...without endangering life and limb." Tina finished.

"And how does that benefit me?" Vidia asked. She actually liked the idea of driving crazy. The downhill racer was a real thrill, simulating that should be almost as much fun. But something told her that these two together should not be trusted.

"Well..., uh," Tina began, trying to answer.

"If you find yourself driving in a dangerous situation for real you'll know what to do because you'll have practiced it in the game."

"Yeah. Yeah, exactly," Tina agreed enthusiastically.

Vidia thought this over for a second. "Okay. I'll buy your game. Where's the money?"

Tina and Penny shared a victorious smile before handing Vidia the eighty dollars for their game.

**~O~**

Claire and Hartley walked casually down the sidewalk. By the time the couple reached the end of the block they were holding hands. At the end of the second block, Claire had wrapped her arms around his and lay his head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for buying lunch for us today, Hartley" she told him.

"It was my pleasure," he answered. "Besides, it was a joy to have such lovely company."

"And my girls," Claire added.

"Claire, I have to confess something," he began.

She stiffened, fearing the worst.

"I never saw myself as a family man," he told her quite frankly. "Children have always scared me. I never know how to deal with them or talk to them. It was the reason why I never considered marriage as a viable choice in life. At least until I met you."

Claire listened intently to him. She was getting more nervous, wondering if he planned to break up with her. Was he scared of becoming a step father to her girls? Or was it something she did? Was it her love of American Football? Or that she was a rabid sports fan in general?

"Watching you and Charlie have a family made me question my earlier assessment," Hartley continued. "Today's lunch wasn't just about a good time out together. It was gaging whether…, whether I could see myself as a good father and family man. How I would react around your children taught me a great deal about how far I've come in the past several years."

"What did you learn?" she asked somewhat apprehensively.

"If I was frightened or nervous, I would have ended our relationship," he said.

Claire's heart nearly sunk.

"I arranged this luncheon so I could determine if I could be comfortable in a family setting. Claire, I was never uncomfortable around your two girls."

"That's good, right?"

"Yes, very much so. I dreaded being uncomfortable because I did not want to lose you. You are the love of my life."

_The love of his life? He called me the love of his life. _"I didn't want to lose you, either. But I wish you had told me sooner."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want you to be uneasy throughout the luncheon," he told her. "It might have created anxiety and forced me away from you. Something I did not want."

"So, you _wanted_ lunch to go smoothly?" she asked.

"Desperately so," he answered. "And I am most grateful that it did."

Claire smiled. _Thank you_, she told him in his thoughts.

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Georgian Era on the Mainland)

Silvermist knew she should have been carrying the water jugs up the hill to the fountain. She knew that if Marianna were to find her cuddling the cute little fish that lived in the stream she would get yelled at again. And more days of carrying water to the fountain would follow. But she couldn't help herself. These sweet little creatures were so cute and cuddly that Silvermist could not ignore them.

Fawn, an animal fairy and Silvermist's only friend at the moment, had offered to help Sil speak to the fish. "I can teach you their language," she told the water fairy one evening at dinner. They had met in the tea room one day. Fawn had seen Silvermist eating alone and looking depressed, so she decided to give the water fairy some company.

Fawn considered animal fairies a close kin to water fairies because both worked so closely with the animals of Never Land. The animal talents spent most of their time with the birds and bees and the furry critters of the forest while water talents were concerned with the frogs and fish and insects that lived in or near the waters.

"Really? You can team me?"

"Yup. No problem. Though you'll probably speak it with an accent," Fawn added. "Only an animal fairy can speak every animal language like a native."

"I don't mind. I just want to talk to them. Make them feel loved and needed."

"Aww…, that's so sweet. Sil, you don't mind if I call you 'Sil', you and I are going to get along just fine."

Fawn was a boundless bundle of energy when it came to animals. She was a bit of a tomboy and loved to work and play a bit rough. The two were the second unlikeliest pair of friends. Fawn's friendship with a certain prissy garden fairy was the most unlikely pairing of friends according to the gossip mongers of Pixie Hollow.

Right now Silvermist was talking to her fish friends. "Do you need help going up the stream?" she asked one of the tiny, finned creatures.

He nodded, a grateful smile across his face.

"Okay, hang on." Silvermist placed the tiny fish into the pond and with a wave of her arms formed a perfect bubble of water around the joyous creature. She pulled the water bubble out of the pond and lifted it into the air and over the shallow falls which impeded the progress of the small fish. Far enough from the rushing waters of the falls Silvermist carefully deposited her fish friend into the water and dispersed the bubble. The little creature breeched the water in thanks and then finned his way up stream to be with his friends.

"Bye," Silvermist said, waving her hand. A flood of tears poured from her eyes as she watched it glide away under the surface of the waters.

Silvermist then returned to the pond and found more fish lining up to be helped so they could continue their journey upstream. Sil laughed as they smiled and wagged their tailfins at her. Some did backflips in the water while one jumped right into her arms for a great big hug. "You are all so cute."

One by one Silvermist assisted the little creatures over the falls using her water fairy magic. Bubbles were formed and carefully guided through the air to the upper level of the flowing stream. Then Silvermist had the idea of gathering one giant sized bubble and putting all the fish inside of it.

The globe of water was the largest she had ever attempted. In fact, it was more than four times the size of anything she had ever tried before. The other water fairies watched her, convinced that the underachieving Silvermist would fail.

They were amazed when the trick worked perfectly. All eight tiny fish were helped over the falls in one giant blob of water. It never broke or sagged on either side. Silvermist handled it perfectly. She even lowered the huge bubble into the stream with precision and subtlety. Most thought it would pop and the fish would be unceremoniously dropped into the water below.

"Wow!" one fairy gasped.

"That was amazing," another said.

"Can you do that again?" someone asked.

"Of course," Silvermist replied. "Uh, what's wrong guys?"

The other water talents had snapped to attention. Silvermist didn't understand why until she turned around. Hovering behind her was none other than Queen Clarion herself. The same beautiful woman who had greeted Silvermist upon arriving to Pixie Hollow and helped her to learn her talent.

"Can you do that once more," the queen asked a second time, a sweet smile on her face.

Silvermist smiled so happily in return. "Yes, Your Highness. I would be happy to."

The young water talent waved her arms in the air and gathered up several tiny, grinning fish into another large bubble of water. This one was even larger than the last one. She held it perfectly steady and glided it up and over the shallow falls in the stream. Just as before Silvermist delicately returned the water and the fish to the upper level of the stream where the giddy fish did backflips and breeches in gratitude before swimming along.

"That is most impressive," the queen beamed. "You have progressed so wonderfully, Silvermist."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I can also do something even more impressive."

"Oh?"

Silvermist dipped her hands into the water and pulled up a wide column of water. At first, it seemed like any ordinary column that a first year water fairy could make. But then she added a twist. Silvermist arched the column so that it connected with the upper tier of the stream. Then she made the water flow from the lower level, over the falls to the upper level. Fish which were caught up in the column could swim their way through the arch, assisted by the flow. The entire pond of fish ascended the stream in this manner in only minutes.

"That is _very_ impressive," Clarion gushed. "You must be nearing completion of your initiate training. And so soon. Your instructor must be very lucky to have such a wonderful and talented student as yourself."

Silvermist smiled, but it was a half fake one. She knew the truth in her heart. Marianna would never let her advance because Sil couldn't practice and perform that way the instructor wanted. She sighed and fluttered into the reeds in despair. While sitting there, one of the fish she helped swam up and nudged her foot which lay at the very edge of the water.

The little fish smiled at her. It then jumped from the water into her arms and cuddled up to the water talent as if giving her a great big hug. Silvermist responded by embracing it warmly until it was ready to go back. "Thank you," she told him. The tiny creature waved goodbye with a fin before swimming away. Disheartened as she was by the thoughts of Marianna, this small moment made Silvermist's heart burst with pride, joy and love. It was a wondrous feeling she hoped to experience again and again. Now if only Marianna could see how well she could perform.

* * *

**Thank you for reading**.


	123. Chapter 123

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon a Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 5**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma was following at a safe distance behind Regina's car. She and Sydney were determined to find out what the mayor had intended to do with the fifty thousand dollars she had stolen from the city treasury. It was night and Regina was driving into the woods at the edge of town. Only the glow of their headlights and whatever moonlight that filtered through the tall trees illuminated the road ahead of them.

Suddenly, Emma lost the control of her police cruiser and it crashed just off the side of the road. They were going to lose Regina and miss the suspicious meeting. That's when Sydney called her over. He was on one knee looking at something behind the front tire.

"Emma, she cut your break line," he told her, sounding quite surprised that even Regina would do something that dangerous.

"That's it! I'm going after that bitch," Emma fumed. She tore off down the road, her feet angrily slamming into the road with each stride.

Sydney, though, was less enthusiastic about their chances of catching up to her on foot. "We're never going to find out who she was meeting."

"She was meeting me," a familiar voice replied.

Emma and Sydney looked over their shoulder to find Mr. Gold. He was holding a briefcase. Apparently, Regina used that money she took from city funds to buy land from the pawn broker. In fact, the very land they were standing on. Gold had no idea what Regina intended to do with the property. It wasn't his business what she did with it now that it had changed hands.

It was a simple answer that Mr. Gold had presented to them. A simple answer with so many more questions attached. Emma called up a tow truck to bring the police cruiser back into town. The brake lines might have been cut and the meeting was missed, but she wasn't about to stop searching. If anything it made Emma even more determined.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The genie stood before King Leopold who look deeply troubled. Reading through Regina's diary the king learned that an admirer had presented his wife with a gift of a mirror. According to the diary this brought out feelings of love that she had not felt in a long time. The king was not blind. He knew Regina could never be truly happy married to him. Leopold was too attached to his dead wife to love Regina as she deserved. But the king would not tolerate another man making such advances to the queen. So he sent Genie to find out who it was. If anyone could learn the identity if this person it was the magical man from the lamp.

Genie found Regina and told her what had happened. It would only be a matter of time before the king discovered that Genie was the queen's secret admirer. Though a creature of magic, Genie was free from the lamp and no longer immortal. Yet all he could think about was Regina's happiness.

Regina, however, could no longer tolerate being in this loveless marriage. To that end her father had procured something which would free his daughter forever. When Genie opened the box he found two snakes, vipers from Agrabah, so that she might be bitten by them. Only through death, she reasoned, could Regina finally get the release she so desperately wanted.

Genie, however, considered an alternate plan. Release the snakes so they would kill King Leopold thus achieving the same goal: her freedom. The freedom to find love. To love him as he loved her. Regina was most receptive to the idea and left the genie to his task.

**~O~**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Georgian Period on the Mainland)

Queen Clarion stood atop the hill overlooking the stream where the water talents were refining their trade. She was next to the fountain watching her fairies and Silvermist in particular. Silvermist had created the water arch again to assist the fish swim upstream. The young water fairy seemed to be fully enjoying herself, if the broad grin on her face and twinkle in her eyes was any indication.

The regent was waiting for someone to arrive. Someone important. Moments later that very person arrived.

"You asked to see me, Your Highness?" Marianna asked, genuflecting in the presence of her queen.

"Yes, thank you. I wanted to congratulate you, Marianna. Silvermist is progressing quite rapidly." The queen gestured to the basin below.

Marianna looked down and saw the young fairy easily holding an arch of water in the air. One end began in the lower basin that formed the pond while the other emptied in to the stream above the falls. The water within the archway was flowing up. The fish were happily swimming up from the basin, through the arch and to the stream above. Marianne was instantly taken aback by this display of advanced skill.

"How-?"

"Yes?"

"No. She can't have learned that. Silvermist has never had time... never taken the time to practice."

"Oh?" It was like an admission of guilt from Marianna. There was a reason the queen had chosen this particular place to meet with the instructor. As Clarion continued to speak she slowly, cautiously orbited the fountain, dragging one finger along the outer edge. "I thought you were her instructor, Marianna. I was under the impression you were directing her training."

Marianna didn't notice at first what Clarion was doing, she was too busy staring at Silvermist and trying to understand how that distracted little fairy could have advanced so much so quickly. When she did notice the queen, her mind immediately switched over to a new thought. Clarion must have been aware of what she was doing to Silvermist. The instructor wasn't nervous, it was her job to get the most out of her charges and if that meant a little bit of hard time to focus the mind then so be it. Marianna hoped the queen would understand, yet for some reason Marianna got the impression that Clarion was displeased with her.

"She couldn't possibly be practicing," Marianna admitted.

"Oh and why is that?" Clarion asked. "Is she busy doing something else? Something that doesn't directly involve her talent?"

"Your Highness, Silvermist is an easily distracted young girl," Marianna said, stating her case and defending her teaching techniques. "I would assign her tasks, direct her to practice, to learn skills yet she would always end up ignoring her training and play with the fish and creatures of the stream. She has no self-discipline. No ability to monitor her own actions or prioritize her daily activities."

"I see. So you made her carry water up here to teach her that?" the queen asked, fully disclosing that she indeed was aware of what the instructor was doing to Silvermist each day.

"Yes."

"Then explain why Silvermist is performing so... unexpectedly well?"

"I can't," Marianna stated. "Silvermist has never shown any desire to be receptive to my lessons."

"Perhaps she has no desire to train in the manner you wish her to," Clarion suggested.

Marianna was struck with confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"Perhaps the teacher must learn from the student how best the student will learn from the teacher."

To the talent instructor that sounded like so much doubletalk. Marianna had spent her entire career using the same methods and techniques with great success. Something which she informed the queen. "Every water fairy I've taken under my wing has come away more than prepared to embrace their talent. Silvermist just has no motivation."

Clarion sighed. Marianna was missing the point. A point which was staring her in the face. Clarion could have stated it directly, but she preferred that Marianna learn it for herself. That kind of self-discovery was often a most powerful stimulus for improvement. "Marianna," the queen instructed, "take some time to observe Silvermist. Look beyond the obvious. Watch her carefully, not as a trainer but as a regular fairy. You might even befriend her. Get to know her as the other members of her talent have. Then report back to me what you've learned about Silvermist. Don't hurry, spend as much time as you need. I am very patient."

"Yes, Your Highness. I will." Marianna replied feeling deflated. She saw no reason to befriend Silvermist, she knew exactly what was wrong with the little fairy. The girl simply didn't want to learn, she only wanted to play. Yet she was under orders to acquaint herself with Silvermist. She could not disobey the directive since it came from the queen.

Marianna sighed. Now she was the one who felt like she had been given orders to march up and down this hill every day to fill the fountain. Only worse, her objective was a more worthless one than pouring water into this little pool. What a thankless job she had ahead of her.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Misty Wen, manager of Dave's Fish and Chips was speaking with her full staff this morning. The Super Bowl was coming up soon and she wanted to go over her plans for that Sunday evening. "Every Super Bowl Sunday our numbers go way down. Most of the residents of Storybrooke are rabid sports fans and they will stay home, host parties and watch the big game. The sports bar fills up, but the dining room is as empty as a graveyard at midnight."

"This year will be different. Our very own New England Patriots are playing and it is a rematch against those dirty, rotten New York Giants!"

A few boos and hisses came from the assembled staff. She recognized that quite a few of them were fans and they hated the Giants almost as much as people living in Boston where the Patriots played their home games.

Four years earlier the sports bar was over capacity, but the dining room was as empty as a ghost town. Liquor sales were through the roof, but the dine-in take less than two hundred dollars. This year Misty wanted things to be different. She wanted her dining room to be just as full with paying customers as the sports bar side.

"Dave has given me permission to install televisions in the dining room for the broadcast. I've already contracted out to a local company to install them. On top of that we are going to be offering discounted meals and appetizers for our patrons and one day only specials will be offered for dine in or take out. Expect to go orders to be very high."

Misty was determined to make the upcoming game night a rousing success for her restaurant. Although she was as much a fan of the Patriots and was proud to see them in the NFL Championship Game again, keeping Dave's profitable was her first priority. To get the word out of their Super Bowl Sunday specials she asked for volunteers to wear sandwich boards up and down Main Street and hand out flyers leading up to the big day.

"I know most of you had your heart set on watching the game," she told them with great sympathy. "So was I. But I'll be here all day long to facilitate what I hope will be our best Super Bowl Sunday ever. And if I can, I'll see about putting a television somewhere back in the kitchen so everyone can catch a glimpse of the historic moment when our New England Patriots put down those sorry bunch of losers that call themselves 'Giants.'"

That small announcement elicited huge cheers from the employees of Dave's. Redemption was to be the order of the day when the Patriots and Giants took the field. Misty didn't want her favorite team to miss watching their favorite team from hoisting that elusive Vince Lombardi Trophy. She reminded them that work came first, but a minute or two here and there to watch the game was more than acceptable.

**~O~**

It was a small job installing televisions at Dave's Fish and Chips, but it was one that Claire was more than happy to take. Especially since she had direct access to the brightest nerd in town. Vidia was equally motivated, but for an entirely different reason. Now she could finally verify if that woman she saw staring into the fish tank was indeed Silvermist, her water talent friend.

The lunch and dinner rushes would make an install during business hours impractical, so Claire and her girls started after Dave's closed for the evening. They were greeted at the door by the hostess, a sharp dressed young woman with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and a petite frame. "The restaurant is yours," the girl informed them.

Immediately Penny began setting up the cable box and signal splitters. High quality coaxial cable was to be run through the drop ceiling and cut to length. Penny brought with her a special crimping tool to attach connectors on both ends. The connector tips were made of gold to reduce signal degradation. Tina and Vidia unboxed several forty two inch, 1080p Vizio LED television sets and set them on tables directly under where they would hang. Claire installed VESA mounts into the walls, properly securing them according to the instruction manuals and Penny's expert advice.

Vidia experienced a most unusual sensation. She had gotten used to working under Tinker Bell's guidance. Tink's exceptional skills, creativity and big thinking often meant huge projects back in Pixie Hollow. Those projects often required extra hands to complete in a reasonable amount of time. Vidia, Rosetta, Fawn, Iridessa and Silvermist usually lent a hand along with Clank and Bobble.

Tonight, however, while running the cable through the drop ceiling she was taking orders from Tink's sister, Periwinkle, or Penny as she was called here in Storybrooke. Peri was a highly talented frost fairy and she shared Tink's creativity and large scale thinking, but her talent was limited to frost not tinkering. So it was quite a strange indeed to see Penny be far more adept at this kind of work than Periwinkle ever was. Penny had retained some of Periwinkle's "adorkable" personality, but somehow her unique skills were now what humans called computer science and electrical engineering.

What wasn't so strange, however, was to see Tina taking an interest in Penny's descriptions. Tina had retained Tinker Bell's tinkering mind and insatiable inquisitiveness so it was to be expected.

Vidia watched with satisfaction and curiosity as the two girls spent the first hour conversing, finishing each other's sentences and sharing accumulated knowledge with each other. Eventually the fast flyer turned human began to tire of hearing about Ohm's Law, Michael Faraday and the Faraday Cage or that someone named Karl Ferdinand Braun introduced the cathode ray tube which allowed for the development of the modern television by Philo T. Farnsworth.

"Oh, like that old guy on _Futurama_," Tina observed.

Penny smiled joyously, "Yeah. They named the professor after him."

"I love that show," Tina gushed.

"The science references are awesome," Penny squealed.

"Yes. Science, math, engineering. And the humor reminds me of my sister, Valerie."

"Uh huh. Snarky."

"Yup. And cranky."

"Snide."

"Grouchy."

"Critical."

"Disparaging."

"Cynical."

"Alright, alright. I get the picture," Vidia howled. "Sheesh, some people."

Tina and Penny shared a wicked smile. Claire then added her own observations. "When those two are together they can be such imps."

"Tell me about it," Vidia said, rolling her eyes. "Just like the old days."

Midway through the night Tina excused herself to use the bathroom. Vidia thought she looked rather peculiar and became concerned. She was more concerned when Tina did not return immediately. She was gone for almost thirty minutes before emerging from the rest room. When she did she looked spent and her eyes appeared a bit bloodshot.

"You okay?" Penny asked, who apparently had noticed the change in Tina just as easily as Vidia had.

"I'm fine," was all Tina would say.

"Are you sure?" Penny continued. "You don't look so-."

"I'M FINE!" Tina barked. Then she calmed down. "I'm sorry. I just… never mind."

Tina went back to her work. Vidia discerned that she had lost her energy, her pep. That glimmer in her eye was missing, too. She was slow, and faltered once or twice. Most of all, Tina seemed worried about something. Claire tried to talk to her, but Tina only deflected her questions by saying it was just jitters from school. She had some big tests upcoming, the slim blonde indicated, including a state mandated skills test and a pre-SAT exercise.

"I can help you with that," Penny offered enthusiastically. It felt like Penny was offering a lifeline to a friend. Trying to reignite that sparkle Tina had before excusing herself to the ladies' room. It didn't work.

"Yeah…, I suppose. Come over whenever." Tina didn't even look in her direction when she answered. Claire and Vidia got confused stares from Penny. After that neither girl spoke to each other except when the job required it. Penny was the most hurt by this. They had just recently overcome their little spat over Gonzo from The Muppets. Now suddenly Tina was giving Penny the cold shoulder.

Something had happened in that bathroom that upset the girl. Was she sick? Was it stress getting to her like Tina said? Was she suffering from depression? Did someone call her on the cell phone and trouble her? Maybe it was cyberbullying, Claire wondered. That was becoming more common now that just about everyone, including teenagers, had a smart phone with internet access and a video camera built in. Something personal was eating at Tina and she wasn't being forthcoming about it. Both Vidia and Claire were independently aware of it.

At the end of the night everything was returned to perfect order. Penny tested each television personally while Claire vacuumed up all the dirt and debris created by their work. Vidia tried to get Tina to open up, but the little blonde kept her distance. So concerned was she that Vidia even forgot her other reason for being here. Silvermist didn't show, but Vidia wouldn't have noticed.

Now she had a problem on her hands. One that was more immediate than the other. Finding Silvermist and breaking the curse could wait. Tina needed help and she need it badly.


	124. Chapter 124

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 6**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma was so pissed over the brake lines being cut by Regina that when the tow truck dropped her and Sydney off at the Sheriff's office she immediately piled into her old, yellow Volkswagen Bug and made for the Town Hall building. It was all Sydney could do to keep from being left behind.

It was Emma's goal to find out what Regina intended to do with that plot of land she bought from Mr. Gold. The problem? Those secrets were likely kept secure in the mayor's office. To acquire them meant entering a secured building in the middle of the night. Now it was Sydney who was having second thoughts. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked Emma Swan.

"Yeah, I've got her alarm code," she replied. As it turned out, Emma's "alarm code" was a brick through the French doors.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, incredulous that she, he sheriff of Storybrooke, had gone so far as to engage in a criminal act.

The way she figured it out in her head was that the alarm company would take two minutes to contact the police, which was her. Another two minutes before Regina found out and two more minutes of driving time. "We have six minutes."

Immediately Sydney began sifting through any and all documents and drawers. Emma went for the computer. She plugged in her USB drive with the data recovery program and did a search for anything relating to the property Mr. Gold purchased. In seconds the search recovered more than half a dozen documents which were for what appeared to be a luxurious new home that looked suspiciously like a castle complete with elaborate towers.

Emma printed out the documents. While the printer was warming up Emma began searching for something else: Henry's book. The first thing she came across was a giant key ring with several old time keys, as if they had been fashioned centuries ago.

"Emma, we aren't looking for that book," Sydney protested as he took the printed papers and stuffed them into his trench coat. "We've got what we needed, let's go before Regina gets here."

"No," she rebuked. "You might have come for those documents, but I'm here for that book and I'm not leaving until I find it."

Seconds later the lights flickered on. "What are you doing here?" Mayor Regina Mills asked. She scowled, looking as perturbed as Emma had ever seen her.

Emma's response was that she had seen two boys throw a brick through the window, so she came in to investigate. "I'm Sheriff, remember? I'm just doing my job," Emma said, throwing back Regina's words from the other day.

"And you brought a disgraced reporter with you?" the mayor asked, looking directly at Sydney. Her sharply pointed description of him clearly irritated him. It was a clear reminder of why he was here this night. Regina had ruined his career and left him an empty shell of his former self. Doing to her what she had done to him would be a soothing tonic for that humiliation.

"He's a witness," Emma answered. "Sydney was in the neighborhood and saw what happened."

"What did you see, Sydney?" Regina questioned, disbelieving Emma's story.

"Uh…, two boys tossed a brick through the window," he told her. "We came in to investigate."

Regina sensed something amiss, but couldn't put her finger on it. When Emma asked if the mayor wanted her to continue, Regina declined instead asking them to leave.

This was fine with the duo, who were eager to escape now that Regina had arrived. Emma was upset that she hadn't recovered that book, but it clearly wasn't in the mayor's office. However, it was now quite obvious what Regina had in mind for that stolen money. When the next council meeting took place Emma and Sydney would be ready. They would finally reveal to the populace what Regina was doing with their money and exposing her arrogant abuses of mayoral authority.

**~O~**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Nighttime. King Leopold was fast asleep. Genie slipped into the king's bedchamber where the regent slept alone. The man of magic stood over his benefactor and quietly paid his respects before opening the chest. The two vipers instantly left their box and slithered under the covers. They each bit the king, waking him with a start.

"I'm sorry," the genie told him. Genie was eternally grateful for his freedom, but admitted he was the one who was in love with Regina. The genie believed it was his duty to free the woman he adored from this loveless union. This disclosure shocked and infuriated Leopold even as he drew his last breaths.

As the fast acting venom coursed this his veins, the king's complexion turned dark, his skin and flesh necrotizing in seconds. With his last breath Leopold looked into the eyes of the man who had betrayed him and slurred out the words, "You were right. I should never have made that wish."

It was a rebuke that unsettled the magic user, recalling the very warning he had given this man not long ago. Leopold did not gracefully accept his fate, nor the apologetic explanation from the visitor he had so warmly embraced. Instead, those last few words exposed the very depths of the betrayal he felt. A treachery the genie could not fully comprehend, so beguiled was he with Leopold's wife.

But the deed was done and Genie justified his actions with the love he felt for the queen. In his heart and mind, he wasn't killing a man but rescuing a helpless woman from her ugly fate. This wasn't an assassination, but an effort of great heroism. All that was left was for his lady fair to come running into his arms, grateful for his service to her.

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It was late the next morning in Storybrooke. Yesterday Claire was feeling very good about herself. Her relationship with Hartley hit another milestone. Then last night Tina had a mood whiplash that sent Claire into panic mode. She slept rather fitfully from the anxiety and felt drained this morning. Everyone rose late after the job at Dave's ended so very early this morning. The spring in Claire's step was obviously missing. She dragged around the kitchen and it was so obvious that even Vidia, the first to come down, commented on it when she opened the kitchen door.

"I'm worried about your sister," Claire told the brunette. "What happened at the restaurant worries me."

"Me, too," Vidia answered while putting out the plates and silverware. "It was like she was two different people last night. Something's just not right."

"Hi, guys!" Tina cheered as she walked in the kitchen door. "How is everybody this morning?"

Claire and Vidia shared a stunned look. They were expecting that Tina wouldn't want to leave the comfort of her room this morning. That she might need to be coaxed out of bed. But here she was, a huge smile on her face and bouncing around with a chipper attitude. "Boy I slept good last night. What about you?"

"Uh…, are you okay?" Vidia asked, broaching the subject quite bluntly. "Last night you acted like you didn't want anyone saying a word to you."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. Whoo, I must have been really tired. That exhaustion can really get to you y'know." Tina took her plate from the table and held it out waiting for Claire to fill it with eggs, bacon, ham and hash browns. "Mmm… smells good, Mom. But you've always been a great cook." She then grabbed some toast, added butter and a bit of jelly and filled a cup with orange juice before sitting down to eat.

Tina ate with gusto until she noticed that both her mother and her sister were staring at her. "What? Is something on my shirt?"

"Honey, are you okay?" Claire asked sweetly. "You weren't yourself last night and I'm worried about you."

"Oh yeah, I'm okay. Hey, ready for the Super Bowl tomorrow? I am. Go Patriots!"

Vidia noticed something most peculiar. Tina's cheeriness came without a twinkle in her eyes. When she mentioned this Super Bowl thing, however, the sparkle instantly appeared. In fact her body language changed subtly. She immediately sat taller in the chair and the smile in her face looked more genuine.

"Well, I need to do some shopping for snacks and drinks," Claire answered somewhat hesitantly. "Do you want to come along?"

"Uh…, if it's okay with you, I would like to spend the day with Penny," Tina remarked. That twinkle in her eyes disappeared again. "She's right, I could use her help getting ready for all of those tests. The state test can be real murder. And I want to be ready for the SAT next year."

"What's a… S-A-T?" Vidia asked.

"It's a standardized college admissions test," Claire explained. "High school students take it to assess skills in math, reading and writing. How well a student performs on the SAT can determine which colleges and universities will accept that student as a freshman."

"Freshman?"

"First year student."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Tina chirped. "The Pre SAT is this year so we can study and be prepared for the real thing next school year."

Claire smiled a bit at Tina. "I'm glad you're taking your future so seriously, honey."

"Thanks. Anyway, that's partly why I disappeared last night," Tina told them both. "Thinking about my future, how things are going to change soon, well I panicked and it took a lot of energy out of me. Sometimes you just feel alone."

"Oh, sweetie, I understand that perfectly," Claire admitted. "I felt the same way when I graduated high school and went to college." She sat down next to her youngest daughter, running a hand through her blonde, pigtailed hair. "I can remember being so excited to leave for college thinking 'I was a big girl now.' But when I left my house and parents behind I cried all the way there. It changed me in so many ways."

"College life can be very challenging for a young woman. No mother or father to comfort you and at school you're pushing against boundaries that are more firm and unforgiving than anything back home. I matured so much in those four years. I can understand why it would make you feel sick to your stomach. But don't worry, sweetie, you're a strong person. You'll be fine. You've got a full year and a half to prepare for it. And I'll be by your side every step of the way."

"Thanks, Mom. I needed that."

"I'm so glad to hear it," Claire replied with a big smile on her face. This was a great relief for mother. Her worries seemed so justified last night. Now that her little girl was preparing to face a brave new world she wanted to yell from the rafter just how proud she was for her.

Instead of yelling, Claire grabbed her youngest and gave her a big, motherly kiss on the side of her temples.

"Aww, Mom!" Tina protested. "I'm eating here. Can't you see I'm eating?"

She did the same to Vidia who just recoiled in horror.

"I'm so lucky to have such two such wonderful girls in my life," Claire told them both. She then proceeded to hug both which sent Tina into fits while Vidia put an empty plate between herself and her queen in a brazen act of self-defense.

**~O~**

* * *

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Georgian Period on the Mainland)

Marianna sighed. She had been sitting on a rock observing Silvermist who was at play in the pond. How exactly did this flighty, unfocused girl accomplish such a complicated water form was beyond her ability to comprehend. This was the eighth day in a row that Marianna had sat on that same rock, waiting to learn if someone else was helping her achieve this exercise. Yet she witnessed no one assisting Silvermist over the period of one week. Finally she had to assume that Silvermist had just stumbled across such an advanced work of magic through sheer dumb luck.

To find out exactly how this happened, Marianna finally decided to approach the young water fairy.

"Hello, Silvermist," she greeted quietly.

"Huh. Oh!" When Silvermist realized who it was that had spoken to her she nearly panicked. The water bridge collapsed and several fish were left to splash around angrily at being unceremoniously dropped.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," the instructor said. "I was just wondering how you were able to do that… thing."

"The bridge to the stream?"

"Yes. Did someone help you? Was it an accident?"

"No, of course not," Silvermist answered. She smiled pleasantly and remembered how it began. "One day I was admiring a bridge over a trickling stream. You know, the one the mice use to pull carts over? I had seen that bridge at least a dozen times, but that day I decided to take a closer look at it. That's why I thought that if it could work for mice, it could work for my little fish friends."

Marianna was taken aback by this answer. "You saw a wooden bridge and thought it would work for the fish?"

"Yes."

"And you thought of this all by yourself?"

"Uh huh."

"No one else helped you?"

"Uh uh."

"When did you find time for practice?"

"After I dragged all the water up to your fountain," Silvermist admitted. At the end of each work day Silvermist would bathe, have a light meal and then returned to the pond to play with the fish by helping them overcome the waterfall and continue their journey upstream.

"Play?" Marinna asked, unsure what to make of Silvermist's use of that word in this context. "It's work."

"Oh no. It's only work if you let it, but I never think of it that way. It's just too much fun."

"Fun? Why is it fun? Why do you think this is so enjoyable?"

Silvermist scooped her hands into the pond and pulled out a ball of water, inside of which was fish. She held it up to Marianna. "See? Isn't that such a cute little face?" Silvermist described.

"Cute?"

"Yeah. I mean, how can you say no to such a cute little fishy." Silvermist turned the ball of water so the tiny fish inside faced her. "Yes you are! You're a cute little fish. You are such a cute little thing aren't you?"

Silvermist drew the ball of water closer until she put her lips on the cheeks of the fish inside it. The little water creature did a backflip and bounced around with utter joy. The water talent fairy then deposited the tiny thing into the stream above the water fall. The fish then bounced around, doing backflips and wearing a broad smile on its face before it finally swam upstream.

Centering only on the joy that Silvermist took in working with the marine life, Marianna determined that Silvermist was either too naïve or too oblivious to realize that work shouldn't be fun.

_Just my luck!_

**~O~**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Tina finished her morning meal quickly and then excused herself from the table. "I'm going to call Penny and see if she wants to help me study today. Bye." The girl stepped out of the kitchen, a content smile on her face. When the swinging door closed behind her she stopped and looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was following.

Tina sat on the sofa in the living room and sighed. Last night at the restaurant she had thrown up again. That was why she was gone for so long, why she was sapped for energy afterwards and why her eyes were so bloodshot. To cover up that fact the girl had carefully removed her shirt and put it aside to avoid any backsplash stains. Afterwards, she carefully cleaned up the toilet seat so no one from Dave's would call the next morning complaining about the mess.

Worried, she ascended the stairs to her room and set about searching Google and WebMD, but the results were so varied that the long lists her search returned enumerated some very scary diseases. So disturbing in fact that it put a good fright into her. "It's probably nothing," she told herself. "I'll wait and see what happens. Hopefully, I won't have to see a doctor."

The young blonde gathered her wits about her and called up her friend. "Hey, Penny. Can I come over today? I need to get out of the house for a while."

* * *

**Thanks for your patience. Enjoy.**


	125. Chapter 125

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 7**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia shrank into her chair. After enduring an entire day living with the constant talk about the upcoming Super Bowl the game finally began following a lingering pregame ritual and the singing of the American National Anthem. If that wasn't bad enough, the halftime show seemed to drag on forever. Now that the contest had restarted it was her thought that it would all be downhill from here.

She was wrong. The reason for her cowering occurred shortly after the beginning of the second half. When the game began the New York Giants scored a two point safety after Tom Brady of the Patriots committed a penalty in his own end zone. Later New York added a touchdown. However, as Claire so often reminded her to the point of annoyance, never count Tom Brady out. Surely enough he led the Patriots on scoring drives that sent the two teams into the locker rooms at the mid-point of the game with New England leading New York by a score of 10 – 9.

When the second half began the Patriots received the kickoff and the offense meticulously began a lengthy seventy-nine yard drive that culminated in a twelve yard passing touchdown that gave the Patriots a more comfortable lead. When receiver Danny Whitehead caught the ball from quarterback Tom Brady, Claire jumped from her chair and roared her approval.

"YYYYEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!"

This was not a delicate, ladylike cheer. Nor was it a high pitched shriek or squeal. No, Claire dug down from the bottom of her diaphragm and pushed out a deep, throaty bellow that sounded less like a woman cheering on her team and more like a warrior generating a frenzied bloodlust in anticipation of battle.

The hot dog she held in one hand suffered as it was squeezed into mush. The can of soda in the other fared just as badly. Fortunately, it was nearly empty at the time.

"TOUCHDOWWWWWN!" Claire boomed once again. She held out her arms, shaking them in a hysteria driven madness and then bear hugged Tina who was screaming at the top of her lungs and jumping up and down like a crazed jack in the box.

"WOOO!" the young blonde girl whooped. "This is it! We're gonna roll!"

This wasn't the cool and unruffled queen that Vidia remembered as perpetually reserved and never demonstrative. No, this was a crazy person on the verge of a full berserker rage. Vidia nearly slipped between the cushions of her chair when Claire put out her hand for a high five. The fast flyer wasn't sure if her hand would survive the encounter intact.

"Oh don't be that way," Claire smiled.

"Yeah, come on, Sis," Tina pled. "We're winning."

Timidly, Vidia put out her hand where it was slapped by both Claire and Tina in quick succession. She got her hand back in one piece. They went back to watching the game while Vidia just shook her head, her eyes wide with alarmed amazement. This moment reminded her of some movie she had seen on television while in the hospital: _Invasion of the Body Snatchers._

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Georgian Period)

Marianna couldn't understand what Silvermist found to be so much fun. This was work, not play. The talent guild instructor sighed. Poor, silly girl. Yet the edict from the queen was not open to interpretation. Marianna was to learn what it would take to take and hold Silvermist's attention so she would learn from the instructor.

"Look," Silvermist called happily. She had taken the water bridge from the pond to the stream and turned it into a set of stairs. Fish were bounding from one "step" over the risers to the next one. The fish actually seemed to be enjoying this. A few were having such a playful good time that they twirled in the air between steps while others whipped their tails side to side. Many didn't continue swimming upstream, instead they flopped back into the pond and took the water stairs again. One fish repeated the water stairs at least five or six times before Marianna chased him off.

"Shoo. Scat. You have to swim upstream, remember?"

"Oh, why do you have to so serious all the time?"

"Because you are in training," Marianna explained. "It is to be taken seriously."

"But the other water talents are having fun," Silvermist pointed out.

"Yes, but they have finished their schooling," Marianna fumed. "You treat this as a lark. Something to be disregarded as an impediment to your entertainment. Well no more. You must learn the proper fundamentals and learn them correctly or you will never succeed as a water fairy."

"I do take my training seriously," Silvermist corrected, though the smile on her face never waned. "I just want to make it fun."

"Fun." There was that word again. For this young initiate everything seemed to come back to that one expression.

"So that's it then, isn't it?" Marianna snidely remarked, flittering around the girl in a slow circle. "That's what this all boils down to."

"Oh, don't say 'boil' in front of the fish," Silvermist gasped. "They don't like it."

"I'm not interested in the fish right now," Marianna answered. "This is all about you. It's all about you having as much fun as you possibly can no matter what. This is you thinking only of yourself."

"No. I make my training fun so I'll always want to practice," Silvermist answered. "But it's always about them, not me."

"Them? Who is them?"

"The fish," Sil replied.

"Fish?"

"Yes, I want to fill their lives with as much joy and happiness as I can."

The fish? It was all about the fish? That was her motivation? "Oh my aching wings," Marianna grumbled. "You! Are! A! Water! Talent!"

"I know."

"You have more responsibilities than just these fish swimming upstream." Marianna was enraged, her voice nearly shouting at the newcomer. "We bring rains to the mainland, put morning dewdrops on spider webs. And we keep the creeks, streams, brooks and rivers flowing both here and on the mainland. It is a huge undertaking."

"I know it is, but why not make your work enjoyable and fulfilling," Silvermist replied. "Here, try it yourself."

Marianna cocked her head in a confused manner. Silvermist dissipated the current water stairs much to the disappointment of the many fish who were eager to try it. She then formed another arch of water and asked Marianna to touch it at certain points to form the steps. Marianna was unwilling at first, but Silvermist prodded her into attempting it.

"Oh, okay." With nothing to lose Marianna touched the water arch at a few various intervals creating an uneven set of stairs. The fish didn't appear pleased and even seemed to be afraid of the large rise in the middle.

Sil was not amused. "Oh no, no. That will never do. Try it again." Silvermist remade the water arch and beckoned Marianna to do it correctly this time. With a sigh she did just that, carefully forming steps and risers at equidistant points across the arch. The fish, who were concerned with the original were now quite ecstatic. They quickly lined up and bounded from step to step, twisting or twirling in midair as they did. It was almost like a game to them. Marianna noticed just how happy Silvermist was made by this. She actually seemed to be deriving satisfaction from the joy the fish were experiencing.

_Ridiculous_, she thought.

"Say, why not try something different," Silvermist suggested. Her idea was a corkscrew of flowing water that would take the fish on a fun ride up to the flowing stream.

"Corkscrew? Where did you come up with that idea?"

"I don't know. I thought it would be enjoyable."

Creativity was supposed to be for solving existing difficulties. That was how Marianna saw it. It was how the tinkers used it. But Silvermist took it further. She believed that creativity could be extended beyond necessity and into the realm of enjoyment.

Marianna thought the whole idea was dumb, but went along with it anyway. She formed a corkscrew shape with the water with varying sizes of loops that emptied into the stream. Fish which had been eager to try the staircase were suddenly amazed at the new method of ascending to the stream. They instantly lined up and entered the flowing waters of the corkscrew, zipping through the curls and twists. If fish could squeal they would have. Upon exiting many jumped into the air flipping head over tails with irrepressible joy.

One young fish leapt from the stream and into Marianna's arms. She barely caught it, having been taken entirely by surprise. The little creature was smiling with such unabashed glee that Marianna couldn't quite take it all in. Then it snuggled up against her cheek in thanks for such an amazing ride.

When this happened it awakened something in Marianna. A feeling lost long ago. She vividly remembered a moment when she was just an initiate. Upon arriving in Pixie Hollow all those decades ago Marianna was placed under the tutelage of the best water talent trainer at the time. Her name was Cordelia. Like Marianna today, she drove her students to reach the fullest potential of their talents.

"Why can't I play with the fish?" Marianna asked once. "It's so much fun and they love the games I create for them."

"You had the brightest talent glow of any water talent we've ever seen," Cordelia answered. "I won't let you fool around like a human child. This is serious work we do here."

Those words now sounded quite familiar. Marianna had spoken them or something like them to many of her students over the years.

"But I hate that I can't have fun while I practice," Marianna begged. "Why can't we make games out of our work?"

Cordelia responded by smacking the girl across her knuckles with a stick. Marianna recoiled in pain. "You remember that the next time you want to play," Cordelia snarled. "I'm not going to let the greatest talent I've seen to go waste. Is that understood?"

Oh how Marianna desperately wanted to play and have fun. She had worked out complex shapes and outrageous stunts in her head. She tried to enact them, but it wasn't long before Cordelia found out and put a stop to it. Each time the trainer struck Marianna across the knuckles with stick. "Now stop playing around and get to work," was the constant refrain Marianna heard.

That repressed desire to just go nuts and have fun had been buried for so long that now those emotions couldn't wait to get out. This was why she loved being a water fairy. The joy it brought to the fish and the other animals of the water. The very same reason Silvermist enjoyed being a water talent.

Her eyes welled up with tears. Her heart opened up and let in joy for the first time in so long. She took a fish in her arms and embraced it with rapturous elation. To Silvermist's surprise Marianna smashed the corkscrew and flew into the air while letting out a tremendous sound of laugher and delight. Then the trainer scooped water from the pond and began to form the most incredibly complex and daring "water slide" anyone had ever seen.

It rose and flowed and drooped and swirled and bounced this way and that. Right in the middle of it was a huge rise that turned into a giant drop that made it look more like a thrill ride than a simple means of locomotion for the fish.

"Whoa!" Silvermist gasped. "I've never seen that before."

"No one has," Marianna said, nearly exploding with energy. "I've had that in the back of my mind for ages. It has never been attempted before now."

The fish were surprised and thrilled. Quickly they took to the new water structure and rode it all the way through. In particular they enjoyed the huge descent in the middle. Riding to the very top and sliding down at breakneck speed before pulling up and into two giant loops. A second, smaller but no less thrilling drop deposited them into the stream.

Marianna beamed with pride as the fish couldn't want to try it again and again. Then, periodically, Marianna would alter the shapes of the floating tubes of water. The entire ride became more thrilling and entertaining with each iteration. The fish of the pond never had so much fun.

The same was true for both Silvermist and Marianna, who smiled steadily and giggled often.

This was Silvermist's motivation. And at one time, it was also Marianna's. What a wonderful gift the little fairy had given to the instructor. Marianna felt as though she had found her joy once again.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Dave's restaurant was packed. Misty's idea to draw in casual diners and families that might otherwise stay in and watch the game at home hadn't worked out as she had intended. Instead the bar crowd spilled over into the dining room gorging on appetizers and chugging beer as they watched the game on the big screen LED televisions strategically positioned throughout the dining room.

Takeout orders swelled just prior prior to the start of the Super Bowl and continued steadily through first half of the game. Call volume waned somewhat during the latter part of the second quarter, but increased markedly during halftime. The game while tight wasn't an offensive highlight reel like some past Super Bowls. There was no massive offensive explosion as when the Chicago Bears beat down these New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX following the 1985 NFL season.

Nor was it like the entertaining match between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII which was a tight game to the very end with plenty of scoring from both teams. This game was a defensive struggle as the Giants regularly put pressure on Tom Brady with just four down linemen and dared him to throw into the teeth of their coverage, something Brady could not do consistently.

On the other side the outcome was quite similar. Eli Manning was in a constant duel with the Patriots defense which accomplished a similar task. They blanketed his receivers while putting regular pressure on him forcing Manning to throw or take a sack and lose yardage. One the fourth quarter began, though, calls for takeout began to diminish. The game was tight, but it was getting late and the dinner hour had passed.

Business within the restaurant, however, remained unmanageable. With so many people in the bar and dining hall Misty had to move around helping out in all phases: kitchen, bar service and dining room. Even with every employee called in to work the staff was overwhelmed. Food orders took thirty minutes longer than normal to prepare and the bar had to replace the keg for each brand of beer they served at least once that night.

"Me and my big mouth," Misty complained while delivering drinks and cheese sticks to several tables in the diner. Upon returning to the kitchen she looked at her haggard staff and announced, "Next year, if I get another one of these bright ideas, remind me to keep it to myself."

Her sous chef nodded and said with a laugh, "I wish I had told you to keep it to yourself this year."

**~O~**

Claire's cheerful demeanor turned to anxiety as the championship game progressed. After New England scored to open the third quarter they did not score again. The Patriots defense, however, successfully kept the Giants out of the end zone for the entire third quarter. New York did manage to kick two field goals during that period closing the gap on their opponent.

The score at the end of the third was 17 – 15 in favor of New England.

During the fourth quarter the New England defense continued to harass the New York offense preventing them from scoring for _most_ of the final fifteen minutes of the game. Two plays, however came to define this Super Bowl match.

With about four minutes remaining in the game the Patriots were on the Giants 44 yard line. It was second down with eleven yards for a first down conversion. Tom Brady threw to and uncovered Wes Welker, a typically reliable wide receiver. The pass was a little too high, but still catchable. Wes Welker stretched out to capture the ball but it uncharacteristically slipped through his grasp.

"AAAUURRRGGHH!" Claire yelled. "It went right through his fingertips! He always makes that kind of catch all the time! All the freakin' time!"

Tina reminded her that there was still plenty of time on the clock and another down for New England to convert a first down and keep the drive going.

New England was not able to convert and was forced to punt.

New England's defense began to focus on the Giants two best wide receivers with the hopes of forcing New York to punt. The tactic backfired and quarterback Manning and running back Ahmed Bradshaw skillfully drove the team downfield towards the Patriot end zone.

With the Giants at the six yard line, one minute of play remaining and with New England down to only one time out Patriots Head Coach Brian Belichick ordered his defense to surrender a touchdown on the next play. If the Giants ran on third down and failed to score a three point field goal would give them the lead and would eat up precious time.

The ball was snapped on the next play and the ball was handed off to Giants running back Ahmed Bradshaw. The Patriots defense stepped back and provided an unimpeded lane for the runner to score. When Bradshaw recognized what the opposing defense was doing he tried to stop at the one yard line, but his momentum carried him over the goal line and into the end zone, culminating in what was later described as one of the most bizarre touchdowns in Super Bowl history.

Claire sat at the very edge of her seat, riveted to the television broadcast. New York had taken the lead. The Giants attempted a two point conversion, but failed leaving the score 21 – 17 in favor of New York. Had the Giants been successful New England would have needed a touchdown and a successful two point conversion to win in regulation. With the score as it stood the Patriots would only need to score a touchdown to win.

Brady had done this before. His first Super Bowl win came following the 2001 NFL season against the St. Louis Rams who were at the time billed as The Greatest Show on Turf. The Rams of that era had put together one of the most prolific and unstoppable offenses in NFL history. The Patriots defense slowed them down all game long and Tom Brady drove the team downfield for the game winning field goal and did it with very little time remaining.

It was fully expected that Brady could do it again. New York put heavy pressure on Tom Brady and promptly forced New England into a fourth down situation. The Giants again put heavy pressure on Tom Brady, but he managed to elude a tackler and threw a first down pass. The Patriots quickly moved to midfield, but with only nine seconds remaining. Unfortunately, Brady's next pass fell incomplete.

With no other options left Brady launched a long, desperation Hail Mary pass into the end zone. Tight End Rob Gronkowski was the intended target, but the ball was deflected away by New York Giant defenders. Gronkowski dove to catch the ball as it fell to the ground, but it was beyond his grasp and the ball bounced harmlessly off the turf ending the game and any chance New England had of a comeback win.

"NNNOOOOOOOOOO!" Claire screamed. She slumped to the floor and appeared completely stunned. She began muttering, "Not again, not again, not again, not again… NOT AGAIN! How could the same Eli Manning and this same team do this to us in the same way…AGAIN?"

The irony of this was that Eli's older brother, Peyton was considered one of the most talented and intelligent quarterbacks in NFL history. Yet the older Manning was almost always stopped in the postseason by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Eli Manning, however, had somehow managed to defeat Tom Brady and the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl and did it both times with stunning come from behind wins.

"Uuggh! I can't watch this anymore," Claire said as she slowly got to her feet and left for the kitchen. Her body language clearly revealed how angry, frustrated and dejected she was.

Tina took her seat and watched the confetti fall and the trophy presentation in disbelieving silence. Midway through that ceremony she turned off the television set, sighed and walked up the stairs to her room.

Vidia, who watched this spectacle, commented to a now empty room, "So…, I guess it didn't go well?"

* * *

**Whew here is another chapter. That is if anyone is still reading.**

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**Anyone?**

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**Bueller?**


	126. Chapter 126

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 8**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Emma and Sydney were preparing to sabotage Regina at the upcoming Town Council meeting. The pair sorted through the documents they had acquired from the mayor's office. Included were payment receipts and blueprints. "What is she building out there, a castle?" Emma muttered.

"We've got her," Sydney exclaimed.

Then Emma began to balk at what they were about to do. She couldn't go through with this. "It's fruit of the poisonous tree, Sydney," she told him. This evidence was illegally obtained and wouldn't hold up in a court of law. Waving around these documents, which were only found on the mayor's computer, would definitively reveal that they had broken into the mayor's office and stolen them. Moreover it would disclose to Henry that Emma had done exactly what she had promised she would not do. Stoop to Regina's level.

Sydney was beside himself. They had come so far and now Emma wanted to back out over her conscience. "If you don't do this I will," he told her. His words didn't sway her. Desperate he pulled out a shoebox and plopped it down in front of the sheriff.

Inside were hundreds of photographs of Emma and Henry together. "She had me follow you," he confessed, looking regretful for his past actions. The photos dated back to just after Emma first arrived in Storybrooke. Pictures showed them on Main Street, at Granny's Diner, in her yellow Beetle and several at Henry's "castle" the old wooden playhouse destroyed by the storm. One such moment Emma remembered distinctly. She had her arm around the boy consoling him just after Graham died.

Swan was infuriated. Regina wasn't just keeping tabs on them she had used Sydney to intrude on private and personal moments. She had gone too far. Anger and hate welled inside of her. Emma wanted a taste of revenge. "Alright, Sydney, let's do this."

**~O~**

Monday morning came. The Super Bowl had left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. The New York Giants were the NFL Champions again but Claire had already put it behind her. She was confident the Patriots would win back the Lombardi Trophy soon enough. Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick had a knack for keeping the team highly competitive each year.

In the here and now, though, the City of Storybrooke was holding a Town Council meeting and Claire had opened up her calendar to attend today's session. Tina was dropped off at school and Valerie agreed to accompany her. As the two women approached the front steps they spotted Hartley at the top of the stairs.

"Funny meeting you here," he told Claire with a welcoming smile.

"I was about to say the same thing to you," she replied while coyly pulling a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I didn't know you had any interest in these meetings."

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you," he replied, playfully tossing back Claire's own words.

She admitted that it was rare for her to have a free day to attend. She had work and family to attend to frequently. But on a day like today she was more than willing to sit in and listen. "I've always had this strange fascination with how a government works. I even have this little voice inside that tells me I might be good at this sort of thing. Y'know, sitting on the council. I never listen to it, though."

"Really? Why haven't you?"

Claire laughed at just how unrealistic the whole idea sounded.

"Yes, why haven't you?" Valerie cut in. "You would be great at it."

"Oh no, dear. I wouldn't."

"Yes you would," Valerie responded doggedly. "You're the Queen of Pixie Hollow. That's why you have that desire to be on the council. You're the ruler of an entire kingdom, born with the special leadership talent."

"Well, it seems you have an advocate," Hartley grinned.

Claire put her arms around the girl both in gratitude and to console her. "Oh thank you, sweetheart, but I'm not a queen. And even if I were this isn't a monarchy it's a democracy. First I would have to campaign to get elected. Once I'm on the council I can't just make law on a whim. Bills have to be introduced followed by open debate and votes have to be cast by the other council members. If a bill fails to get a majority of votes then it doesn't become law. But thank you for that wonderful voice of confidence. It's much appreciated."

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND (The Late Georgian Period)

Marianna's watery fish ride had become the attraction of the day. Every creature in the pond that could swim had to try it at least once. Too often, though, the fish couldn't wait to go back and ride it again.

By the evening none of the fish had moved on upstream. They were too taken with Marianna's ride to go on about their business. That is when she realized that they had accomplished nothing all day. Marianna finally remembered why she so loved being a water talent and why she wanted to teach others. Somehow over the decades the instructor forgot her past and gave in to the cynicism of dealing with sometimes difficult students.

Now she was taken back to those heady days as a young initiate learning her trade and just how much fun she used to have. Yet as the sun dipped low on the horizon it was another memory that took front and center in her mind.

Realizing that the fish were unwilling to carry on so the other water talents downstream could do their work and meet their quotas Marianna felt as though she had let down her brothers and sisters in the guild. This was why Cordelia didn't want Marianna fooling around. It was why Marianna didn't want Silvermist to do the same.

These fish, fun and precious as they were, had to swim further along the stream to spawn. Then as they matured they would be taken to the mainland to populate the rivers and lakes where the humans lived. Keeping them here to play put the entire process out of sync.

"We have jobs to do," Marianna told Silvermist. "As much as we want to entertain this lovely creature it can get in our way."

The young fairy looked sullen. "I understand now," she replied looking further up the stream. She could only imagine the angry faces on the other water talents as they were kept waiting for fish that never arrived. "I'll be more focused next session."

"Thank you, Sil. We can make instruction engaging and fun, but it cannot get in the way of our duties."

Silvermist nodded. "But afterwards I can't make any promises."

Marianna smiled. "Afterwards you can play all you want."

Marianna sighed. She broke down the complex structure she had built out of water and let it fall back into the pond. That fulfillment she had felt earlier didn't fall apart, though. It stayed, never allowing her to forget just how much fun being a water fairy could be.

"I'll see you here tomorrow, then?" Marianna asked her student.

"Tomorrow, bright and early," Silvermist replied. "This time I will be ready."

As the two parted for the evening Marianna was left thinking about what the queen had said the other day. The teacher had to learn what motivated the student. Marianna had certainly found it. Just as Marianna's own teacher had done with her.

However, there was a nagging suspicion. Was the queen talking about Marianna discovering what motivated Silvermist? Or was she talking about Marianna rediscovering her own motivation for teaching? Maybe she was talking about both.

She grinned. "I guess we'll never know."

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Misty Wen woke well after her alarm had sounded. She slept through it, never remembering that it went off. Of course, she had an excuse. Sunday night was the busiest the restaurant had been in months. Though the game ended badly for the Patriots, the final tally for the dining room was astounding.

Dave even called to congratulate her on such good work. Since she wasn't up yet he left a delirious message saying he wanted to do it again next year.

"Oh please no," she mumbled. Misty's legs ached, her arms felt like jelly and her back didn't want sit straight. When she arrived home last night Ms. Wen was so exhausted she could barely cast off her clothing before flopping down onto her bed and falling asleep. She still smelled of fish, beer and the deep fryer.

Upon arriving at work very late she apologized profusely. Then she noticed that food preparation was severely behind schedule. "All of us, huh?"

"Yep," her sous chef answered. "I'm still trying to figure out how none of us keeled over after last night."

"DYAAAHHH!" A cook had burned herself. She was in charge of the soup and had fallen asleep while standing over the stock pot. Her chin made contact with the searing hot metal which woke her instantly, but not after giving her a minor first degree burn.

"Oh, that's going to leave a mark," Misty replied.

Her sous chef laughed adding, "Yeah, she's going to spend the rest of her life looking like Harrison Ford."

"Huh?"

"Harrison Ford? He has that scar on his chin from a car accident? Remember it was featured in the third Indiana Jones movie?"

Misty looked at the cook rubbing her chin with ice. "No. Sorry, I don't see it."

The sous chef sighed followed by an eye roll. "You're probably just too tired."

Despite how much her body hurt all over, Misty dove in and helped the kitchen staff in their preparations. The store was about to open for lunch and there were always a few customers who arrived promptly at eleven.

**~O~**

The Town Council session began in earnest. Behind the ruling body was a large projector screen which was used to display bullet points. At the moment it shown the seal of the City of Storybrooke. The hall was packed with citizens, as was the norm. Moments into the meeting, though, Sheriff Emma Swan stood and interrupted the normal procedure.

"I have something to say," she proclaimed.

"This isn't an open forum, Sheriff," Regina demanded. "Now sit down and be quiet."

"Or what? You'll bully me? I can't be frightened," Swan replied. That's when she announced that Regina had taken fifty thousand dollars from the city funds without authorization to build herself a house. Swan then held up page after page of documents which confirmed her conclusion.

Those in attendance gasped. Everyone turned to look at Regina for a response.

"You're right," the mayor answered. "I am building a house. A play house." The large projector screen behind them switched to the very same blueprints Emma had in her hand. Regina continued, reporting to the citizenry and the council that she had purchased property to build a new play house for the children. It would replace the old wooden, _and unsafe_, structure that was damaged in the recent storm.

Emma was completely blindsided. Nothing she had read suggested that this was anything but a residence, not a play area. Worse yet, Emma had been exposed to the city. She had shown herself as vindictive and untrustworthy. And Regina had gotten the best of her yet again.

The defeat stung, badly.

* * *

**Thanks again for your patience. This episode will conclude with the next chapter. Thanks for reading and I look forward to your feedback.**


	127. Chapter 127

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 11, Chapter 9**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

When the council session ended Claire and Hartley met up just outside. Vidia stayed a discrete distance away so they could talk in private. "I can't believe I voted for her for sheriff," Claire mumbled to herself. She was staring directly at Emma Swan who was across the way speaking with Sydney Glass and Mr. Gold.

"Would you have preferred Sheriff Sydney Glass?" Hartley asked in return.

"Hmm? No, but today Emma seemed so unlike herself," she clarified. "Almost like she was obsessed with 'dethroning' the mayor. Not that I'm a fan of Regina, mind you."

"No of course not. Regina does like to bully her constituents."

"Yes. I just thought Sheriff Swan was of higher moral character than that. Very bad form."

"Bad form? Why I haven't heard that since the last time I watched _Peter Pan_," Hartley confessed.

Claire chuckled a bit. "That used to be one of Tina's favorite movies growing up. Come to think of it one of her favorite books, too. I suppose that phrase got just stuck in my head."

Hartley smiled broadly. "Perhaps we should be grateful that it wasn't 'you silly ass' that got stuck in your head."

"What?! Oh right. Tinker Bell would say that to Peter in the book. Very droll."

Hartley could barely contain himself. He enjoyed needling her in this playful manner. But now he had another question for her. "Claire, would you like to join me for a bite to eat?"

"You mean right now?"

"Yes," he replied.

"But what about Valerie," Claire objected. "I can't just leave her in the truck."

"Bring her along," Hartley replied. He took her hand, kissed it and added, "I just want to spend more time with the woman I love."

Claire blushed. Suddenly it was as if she were walking among the clouds.

**~O~**

Emma and Sydney were stuck licking their wounds. Regina had made them look like damn fools. Emma had no one but herself to blame. So ready to believe the very worst about Regina that Emma never bothered to do her due diligence. If she had been more open minded, more willing to question the evidence before her she might have learned that it was a play house, not a residence. Or at least cast suspicion on just how a mere fifty thousand would pay for such a large and luxurious home. Now her standing in the community had taken a huge hit.

Mr. Gold came by to congratulate them on the attempt, but suggested that if Emma had any hope of success against the mayor she was going to need some help. Emma remembered the "help" she got from him during the election and flatly turned him down.

Moments later Regina came to speak with the Sheriff. What followed was full dressing down. The mayor now knew full well that Emma and Sydney had broken into her office to steal those documents. It was the only way she could have obtained them. Emma responded by accusing Regina of cutting the brake lines on her police cruiser.

"Brake lines? Are you delusional?" Regina replied, now more concerned than ever.

Instantly Emma realized she had just volunteered information she should have kept to herself. She was right. When this whole affair started several days ago at the old, beat up playground by the coast Mayor Mills accused Sheriff Swan of simply trying to get around her to get to Henry. So Regina took him out of the equation. Emma was no longer to have any contact with Henry without her authorization.

None.

Ms. Swan tried to answer back, but Regina explained that after what had just happened there wouldn't be a court in the land that wouldn't side with her right now. Emma had shown herself to be obsessive, vengeful, possessive and delusional. More than enough to wrest any claim Emma had to her son.

With no other choice Sheriff Emma Swan agreed to the terms. Fully defeated Emma retreated to the comfort of a drink at Granny's. Emma thought she was putting Henry's needs first with this undertaking, but she was putting herself before him. What she actually did was put Henry in the middle of her feud with the mayor. Now both she and Henry were going to suffer for her error in judgement.

* * *

**~O~**

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

"It is done," the Genie told Queen Regina. The woman was at her dresser mirror fixing her hair and clothing. It was about all she could do since King Leopold confined the queen to her bedchamber following the discovery of her diary. Now the king was dead and Regina was free. Free to be with Genie.

Unfortunately, there was a complication.

"The palace guards know you did it," she told him. Assassinating the king was a crime punishable by death. When King Leopold found him days earlier, Genie was separated from his lamp. If found by the palace guards now Genie would soon find his head separated from his neck. To help him escape Regina had used her influence to arrange a secret escape route for Genie. A boat which would take him out of the kingdom and to safety.

At that exact moment Genie knew he had been manipulated. "The Agraban Viper," he murmured as the realization dawned on him. That viper was from his home land. It would tie the murder to him without even the slightest doubt.

"We can longer be together," Regina told him. "Now go before they find you here."

"I can't. I love you. I can't be without you," he proclaimed. In spite of all Regina had done to him Genie could not leave. He was too smitten by the woman.

"Don't you get it?" she roared back. No longer did she coo or talk sweetly or with swoon at his behavior. Suddenly she was a different woman. A con artist, a person so taken by her own cleverness that she grinned from ear to ear when she spoke her next words. "I don't love you. I wanted the king dead and you killed him for me. I've given you a way out, now go before the guards find you here."

"No," was his firm reply. There was one last wish in the lamp and Genie was going to use it. He wished to be with her forever. To stay by her side, always.

Genie vanished in a puff of smoke. _Where was he?_ Regina thought as she searched the chamber.

"No! NO!"

Regina heard his cries and found him.

"NOOO!" Genie's wish had gone awry. He had told King Leopold that every wish ever made on the lamp had turned out badly for whoever made that wish. It was true for him, as well.

Regina found him, trapped in the mirror he had gifted to her. She smiled, a cruelty to her grin as she took pleasure in his misfortune. "It looks like you got your wish."

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Sydney Glass joined Emma at Granny's for that drink. Sydney had proved himself both a useful ally to her and a thorn in the side of Mayor Regina Mills. A combination Swan could live with. At that moment Emma decided to join forces with Sydney on a more permanent basis. Up till now Swan had been going down this path against Regina on her own. Now she had a confederate in this battle against the mayor. An insider who could go places and do things she could not. Someone she could trust.

For once since her fight with Regina began Emma no longer felt alone.

**~O~**

Later that afternoon Sydney Glass stood looking into a mirror. His reflection in this mirror was, unknowingly, a reflection of his former life as the Genie of the Lamp who became trapped in Regina's looking glass. A life he had forgotten, but was playing at again here in Storybrooke.

"Did she buy it?" the mayor asked. He had gone to her home to report back on his progress.

"All of it," Sydney answered. He held up a micro tape recorder and played back the conversation he and Swan had at Granny's proving that now he had fully earned his way into Emma's confidence.

She put her hand on his knee and give it a gentle, erotic squeeze. It excited him, swelling his feelings of attraction for her. "What would I do without you, Sydney?" Regina added with a smile.

He was going to be with her… forever.

**~O~**

Hartley brought Claire and Valerie to Dave's Fish and Chips once again.

"Is that all right with you, sweetie?" Claire asked her eldest girl.

"YES! I mean, yes. I liked their food," Valerie answered with much enthusiasm. Vidia, however, had her own reasons for returning to that establishment.

Service was a little slow today and the staff appeared just a tad ragged. It struck Hartley as odd. It was an atypical experience for him. The three sat at their table waiting for someone to take their order, but no one came immediately.

Hartley had to wave down someone to place their meal order. The lovely, young manager Misty Wen came to apologize. "I'm very sorry for the wait. Let me make it up to you with an appetizer on the house."

While Claire and Hartley give Misty their food order Valerie recognized the woman immediately. She had found another of her friends. Silvermist. Of all the places for a water talent to work, a seafood restaurant.

Watching Silvermist serve plates of cooked fish during their visit Vidia couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor thing. Sil was always so attached to her little fish friends back in Pixie Hollow. She wondered how the sensitive water fairy was going to react to this news.

_She'll probably bawl her eyes out for days_, Vidia considered. Then the fast flyer remembered when she first met Silvermist. It wasn't exactly her finest hour.

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

"Shug, can you help?" Rosetta called out to Iridessa. Iridessa was the latest addition to the Pixie Hollow Light Talent Guild. She possessed a dark complexion with bright eyes and a generally likeable disposition.

Rosetta, a redheaded garden fairy, was busy planting seedlings by the shoreline when she requested the light fairy's assistance. "You, too, Sil," she called out. The girls had worked out a system. Rosetta would plant the seeds, Silvermist provided the much needed rainfall and Iridessa would apply some sunshine. Together the plant was nourished enough so Ro could use her magic to make the seeds grow into a lovely plant.

"It's beautiful," Silvermist breathed. She was staring at the deep indigo colors of the tufted blue lily. The various blue lilies on Never Land were Silvermist's favorite flowers. So much so in fact that she used their petals to make her clothing.

"C'mon, Sil, I'll teach you talk to the fish," Fawn called out. Fawn was an animal talent fairy. Members from her guild had the natural ability to speak the native tongues of every creature that lived in Pixie Hollow. And they could speak those languages like a native.

As hard as Silvermist tried, her fish speak always had an accent. "That's okay, Sil," Fawn told her, "they can understand you just fine. And that's all that really matters."

Silvermist tried to say a simple phrase in fish language. They little swimmers didn't quite understand what she was saying, but the nearby frogs were driven into a tizzy.

"Uh oh," Fawn stated.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"You said, 'I want to bite the wax tadpole,' Sil," Fawn translated. "The frogs didn't appreciate that very much. Remember, fish is a very tonal language. If you use the wrong pronunciation or an incorrect tense it changes the entire word. Now try again."

Silvermist attempted the phrase once more, taking her time and carefully applying the correct tone to every word. This time the school of fish before her cheered. She had told them, "I love my fish friends very much."

"Now you got it," Fawn smiled.

"So, this is the new girl," a smoky voice asked. Silvermist twirled around and stood face to face with a tall, purple clad fairy. She had long, dark hair pulled up in a ponytail and wings that were longer than anyone's Sil had ever met.

"Hi, my name is Silvermist, what's yours," she asked innocently enough.

"Yeah, I don't give out my name to just anyone," the tall fairy replied.

"Her name is Vidia," Fawn replied.

Vidia glared at the animal fairy. Then the tall fairy slowly circled Silvermist as if sizing her up. "I heard that you're quite the talent," she said with a touch of bitterness in her tone. Silvermist's talent glow was substantial, but not quite as strong as Vidia's. "You don't seem like much to me."

"Vidia, be nice," Rosetta called. "She's new and very sweet."

"Aw, I'm sowwy. Did mean ole' Vidia hurt Silvermist's wittle feewings?"

Iridessa had had enough of the flyer's mean personality. "Vidia, you're all wet. Now go away."

"Oh really?" Vidia huffed. "Well, we will just have to see about that." A second later Vidia was gone, a trickle of pixie dust trailing behind.

"Don't bother with that one, Sil," Rosetta told her. She explained all about the fast flyers and how some could be incredibly arrogant.

"That's okay," Silvermist replied. "She doesn't bother me. Maybe she just needs a friend."

"Yeah, kind of like we need a hole in our wings," Iridessa commented.

Fawn and Silvermist went back to practicing her fish language skills while Rosetta and Iridessa returned to cultivating plants on the shore line. It wasn't long, though, before they noticed a slight breeze in the air. The breeze soon turned into a stiff wind. Then Fawn heard something in the distance. A low roar.

"What is that?" The other girls heard it, too. In their curiosity they ventured out over the stream to see what it was. The sound got louder and louder until it became a din. Then, from around the bend came the source of the howling noise.

"Waterspout!" Fawn shouted. "Run!"

The four girls flitted off to escape the rampaging, spinning column of air and water, but it overtook them quickly. Silvermist, Rosetta, Fawn and Iridessa were caught in the spiraling vortex and tossed around like rag dolls. Suddenly the spout dissipated and the four girls were unceremoniously dumped into the shallow water. They were soaked to the bone and their wings were saturated with water, temporarily rendering them flightless.

"Where did that come from?" Iridessa asked. The laughter they heard from behind them was all they needed to figure it out.

"Vidia!" Rosetta screeched. "That was mean!"

"Hey, do you know what you guys are?" the cackling fast flyer asked. "Give up? You're all wet! HA HA HA!" Vidia then crossed her arms and in a self-assured tone of voice said, "Well, I guess now we know who the greatest talent in Pixie Hollow really is."

Fawn tried to splash the fast flyer, but she was gone in an instant. Only the echoes of her laughter remained.

Rosetta's hair was a mess and her legs and feet were covered with mud from the riverbed. But she was fuming mad and stormed out of the water hurling insults at Vidia. "Why that arrogant, no good, over talented son of a hawk. Dump me in the water will she? Next time she tries that I'm going to snatch her bald headed so fast she won't know what hit her. After that, I _am_ going to hit her. POW! Right in the kisser."

"Wow, she really is angry," Fawn commented. "Ro usually hates the dirt."

"Wait. Is that? MUD?! AAAHHH! Get it off of me! GetitoffGetitoffGetitoff!"

"She's back."

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

City work crews worked night and day to erect the new playground Regina had paid for. The design had a strange, almost industrial aesthetic. She claimed it was inspired by something she had seen in one of Henry's books.

In truth the playset was a duplicate of the bleak castle Regina once occupied when she was known as The Evil Queen in The Enchanted Forest. A sick and ironic joke on the residents of Storybrooke who would have remembered the frightening castle well were they not suffering from the curse that clouded the memories of their past selves.

As soon as the grounds were ready the playhouse was opened to the public and the children of Storybrooke began to climb on and through the house. The area was surrounded by the serene woods, with picnic tables and park benches in close proximity. It was the perfect setting for the children to enjoy themselves.

Emma sat in her cruiser watching Henry crawl around the new playhouse. She dare not come to him. If Regina had been spying on her before then she would most certainly be watching the Swan's every move with much greater scrutiny now. Emma's only mode of contact with the boy were the walkie-talkies Mr. Gold had given her.

The Sheriff wanted to explain what happened, why she couldn't go near him any longer. It would only break his heart to know she had betrayed his trust and stooped to Regina's level. But Emma did reassure Henry that eventually they would be together again. Just have patience.

Henry was somewhat confused, but he agreed.

**~O~**

In one of the rooms at Granny's Inn was the tall stranger. The man who had rode into town recently on the back of a motorcycle. He had taken Henry's book. At the moment the tall stranger was busy. He was inserting new pages with text he himself had written. It was a painstaking process. The paper had to match and the stitching used for the binding had to be done entirely by hand and it had to be done in small batches.

It was slow going, but soon he would be finished. As for his intentions for the book and Henry, they were known only to him.

* * *

**YAY! The end of another episode. And it only took the better of part summer to finish.  
**

**Next episode: Valentine's Day. Just in time for back to school. Oy!**


	128. Chapter 128

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 1**

_Note: The events in this and the following chapters occur before, during and after the events in the episode "Skin Deep" from season 1._

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Sir Maurice was surrounded by his war council. The Ogre Wars were going poorly. News had arrived that another village under his rule had fallen to the monsters. He had been waiting for the one person who could save them, but that person never showed.

His daughter, Belle, who stood beside him through it all still held out hope that this person might still keep his word. No one else, however, shared her optimism. Sir Maurice and his council were preparing for the worst when they heard pounding from the chamber door. Everyone was startled. The Ogres couldn't have made it this far. Not yet.

Guards swung open the tall double doors, but no one was on the other side. The main hallway leading to this room was empty.

"Well now that was a letdown, wasn't it?" the voice came from behind them.

The occupants of the room turned to find seated in the throne the man they had summoned.

Rumpelstiltskin.

The practitioner of the dark arts was willing to end the war in Sir Maurice's favor in exchange for something. The landowner offered gold, but Rumpelstiltskin spun his own. More than all the kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest could possibly offer. No, what he wanted was Belle to be the caretaker of his large castle.

Both Sir Maurice and Gaston, Belle's husband to be, adamantly refused.

"Belle," her father demanded, "you can't go with this… beast."

Rumpelstiltskin's mouth fell open in mock offense. Belle, however, declared it was her decision and was willing to make the sacrifice.

"Congratulations on your war," Rumpelstiltskin said as he took the woman away from her father, perhaps for the last time.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mr. Gold listened to the empty threats of one Moe French, the owner of the local flower shop Game of Thorns. Mr. French was behind on his payments and Gold took his delivery van, which Mr. French had unwisely put up as collateral. The loss of the delivery truck was bad enough, but Mr. Gold chose to do it on the day before Valentine's Day costing the florist thousands in lost sales as much of his inventory was in the vehicle.

Mayor Regina Mills watched the scene with mild curiosity. If there was one person in this town who was more hated and reviled then her it was the pawn broker Mr. Gold. He refused to budge an inch when it came to his contracts. The mayor wanted a word with him, but he wasn't in the mood. When she pressed the issue he told her it would have to wait and then added the word "please."

Regina felt strangely compelled to let him go.

**~O~**

Mary Margaret and Emma were at Granny's, there they ran into Ashley Boyd who was tending to her baby girl Alexandra whom she was carrying in a baby bjorn. She was feeling particularly exhausted. It was difficult for her to find a babysitter or spend time with her boyfriend, Sean, who still had not proposed. Sean's wealthy and dictatorial father had effectively disowned him for not abandoning Ashley after getting her pregnant. This forced Sean to work long hours at the fish cannery to support Ashley and their infant girl.

While they spoke Claire Kensington arrived. She had come to Granny's for some hot coffee. She spotted the new mother with her infant child. "Oh she is so precious, Ashley," Claire said. "You have such a beautiful baby."

"Thank you," the young mother beamed.

"Did I hear you say you needed a sitter?" Claire asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Well, why don't you bring little Alexandra over to my place one of these days," Claire told her. "I'll be happy to watch this little cutie while you and Sean have some time together."

"You would do that?"

"Of course, I've got plenty of experience with baby girls," Mrs. Kensington said.

Mary Margaret was impressed by Claire's offer. "Well there you go, Ashley. When fate closes a door it opens a window."

Ruby the waitress with her tiny dress and long black hair with red highlights walked up. While tending to her customers she had overheard the conversation and offered a suggestion. "If you aren't doing anything tomorrow why don't we all have a girl's night out at The Rabbit Hole? We could pick up some cute guys."

Ashley balked at the idea, she was still with Sean. Ruby reminded her that they weren't married yet and he was stuck working double shifts at the cannery. "Okay, I'm in."

Emma declined, but Ms. Blanchard was more than up for it.

"Claire?"

"Sure," she replied. "But there is only one 'cute guy' I want to pick up."

"Who is that?" Ms. Blanchard asked.

"Hartley!"

Mary Margaret could only laugh at her own forgetfulness. "You are so lucky, Claire. I wish I had someone in my life like you do with Hartley." Though no one knew, Mary Margaret was peering out of the corner of her eyes towards another table where sat David Nolan. The man she was in love with, but could not have.

Emma received a buzz from the police station. The phones at the Sheriff's Office were set to forward calls to her beeper when she wasn't there. "Gotta go."

**~O~**

Mr. Gold's large, gothic Queen Anne style home had been broken into. Considering all the people who hated the pawn broker Emma wasn't surprised that it happened, only that it took this long. A number of expensive items had been taken. Gold had a suspect in mind. Moe French, the man whose delivery truck he claimed for non-payment.

"Alright, I'll look into it," she told him.

Mr. Gold, however, muttered that she had better get to him first. It sounded like a threat and she told him not to follow through. Gold's response to the break-in troubled Emma. Gold had plenty of money, yet the pawn broker acted as though something truly precious to his heart had been taken. Something he wasn't telling her.

That added an entirely new layer of complexity to this case.

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

It was coronation day. Queen Clarus had recently passed away following a devastating pirate attack on Pixie Hollow. This left the woefully underprepared Princess Clarion to take on the role of leader of the kingdom.

Ever since her mother's passing the young princess had greatly increased her study schedule trying to prepare for this day. Even her tutors explained that it would take many more seasons before she was properly educated for this role.

"You will have to rely more on your raw talent than experience," one told her in his forthright way. Raw talent was good, but education, wisdom and experience harnessed it to proper effectiveness. Clarion knew her first seasons were going to be rocky. She just didn't how bad it would be.

Thousands of fairies and sparrow men and their animal friends gathered at the Pixie Dust Tree. With the pixie dust falls behind her Princess Clarion stood where all could see the young woman. Accompanying the young monarch were the four ministers of the seasons and the princess' personal guard and summoner, a newcomer named Viola who replaced the young man who guarded Queen Clarus and died in his service to her.

"Do you, Clarion, Princess of Pixie Hollow this day take upon yourself the role of Queen, ruler of all fairydom?" Redleaf the Minister of Autumn asked. Redleaf was the eldest of the ministers and was thus tasked with the coronation.

"I do," she said, swearing upon an ancient text of fairy law. This book contained the original laws of Pixie Hollow, the pillars upon which the entire society had been founded.

"Do you, Clarion, Princess of Pixie Hollow swear to abide by and defend the laws of your kingdom? To enforce them equally and never to abuse or by your action or inaction allow others to abuse the law?"

"I do," she said.

"By what right do you claim the throne of this fairy kingdom?" Redleaf asked.

"By right of succession," she answered, "daughter of Prince Devon and Queen Clarus, whose lineage can be traced back to the first baby who laughed the first laugh."

Clarion was relieved. She had been practicing that all day and got through it without a single misstep.

She removed her hand from the ancient text and stood front and center. The Minister of Spring presented to Clarion a golden scepter which she took in her right hand. The Minister of Summer presented a sovereign's orb which was placed in her left palm and from behind the Minister of Winter placed upon Clarion's head the ornate Crown of the Monarch's. These three items were utilized only for the coronation of a new queen. Once the ceremony was finished they would be locked away and never be seen again until the next ceremony.

Redleaf turned to the crowd and announced, "I hereby present to you Clarion the First, Queen of all Pixie Hollow and The Winter Woods; defender of the law; ruler of all fairydom. Long live the queen!"

"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!" That was what every fairy and sparrow man shouted and with absolute enthusiasm. "LONG LIVE THE QUEEN! LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"

The many who had gathered were still bereft of the fallen Queen Clarus, but they accepted Clarion with open arms and open hearts. Now she would have to earn their trust and respect. A difficult task made more challenging by the long shadow cast by her beloved mother and her incomplete training.

"How will I ever manage?" she quietly asked herself.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Hartley had taken Claire into the woods just beyond town. He entertained her with a picnic lunch followed by a stroll among the trees. Here, beyond the sounds of the city, he took her hand in his as they walked. The couple marveled at the towering pines and the lush greenery of the forest floor.

Then Claire asked him a question. One that had been nagging at her for hours.

When Claire went to Granny's Diner this morning she ran into Mary Margaret Blanchard, among others. For the first time Claire wondered why Ms. Blanchard never seemed to have a boyfriend or wasn't married. It suddenly clicked that Hartley, despite being slightly older than herself, had been single his entire adult life.

This sudden revelation gave her pause. Their relationship was getting stronger and more intimate. Yet if he had never taken a wife before it called into question something about his character.

"Hartley," she began pleasantly enough, "why did you never marry?"

He was struck by this query. It was so out of the blue. "I-I'm not certain," he replied. "To be honest I've never given it much thought."

Now it was Claire's turn to be caught off guard. "Truly? You never once took a moment to consider it?"

"No. Though I suppose I simply never found the right woman."

"What about now? Am I the right woman?"

"Of course you are, my dear," he replied with a genuine tone to his voice. "What brought this on?"

"Oh nothing," she replied. Claire wasn't fully satisfied with his answer. There had to be a bigger reason than just "never found the right woman before." Was he being too picky? Was Hartley a textbook commitment-phobe? Did he prefer being single than married? Before things went any further between them she would have to find out.

* * *

**Sir Maurice = Moe French**

**Belle = ?  
**

**In this episode _Once Upon A Time_ tackles Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_ with Rumpelstiltskin assuming the role of "The Beast." Throughout the episode Belle is shown wearing the same clothing worn in the animated film. The yellow and gold ball gown in the opening sequence described above and her blue and white plainclothes during the rest of the episode.**

**Moe French's business "Game of Thorns" is a nod by the producers of OUAT to the television series _Game of Thorns_.**

**Author's Note: As this story has reached over 125 chapters and may likely be perceived as intimidatingly large to newcomers I've decided to close this first half of season 1 with episode 12. The second half of season 1 will continue in a separate story titled Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke Season 1, Pt 2.  
**

**Thanks for reading. Feedback is always appreciated.**

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**My fingers hurt from all this typing.**


	129. Chapter 129

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 2**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

At Rumpelstiltskin's Dark Castle, Belle was assigned a room, though it was in fact the dungeon. The young woman was to be his caretaker. While still in her yellow and gold ball gown she brought out the tea service to serve him his drink. It was here, in the main hall, that Rumpelstiltskin made his full demands known to her.

"You will serve me my meals and you will clean the Dark Castle," he told the frightened Belle. "You will dust my collections and launder my clothing. You will fetch me fresh straw when I'm spinning at the wheel."

"Got it," she said as she filled a teacup with the hot brew.

"Oh, and you will skin the children I hunt for their pelts."

Belle, shocked and horrified by that last demand, dropped the teacup onto the carpet.

"That was just a quip," he replied with a gleeful grin. "Not serious."

Belle was fully relieved. He was a monster, which everyone knew. Thankfully, he wasn't that much of a monster. That assumption was put to the test when she picked up the teacup and found that it had chipped. "It's just a cup," he told her.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

After school Tina met with her best friend, Penny. Along with Valerie the trio gathered at Penny's house to play video games. Or in this case, to fulfill a bargain made with Valerie. Penny had set up one of her game platforms so that Vidia could "practice" driving without taking out the minivan.

The game was a racing program on the Xbox 360 operated by a set of pedals and a steering wheel, just as Penny had described. "Now remember," the young teen said, reminding Vidia of why she was here. "This game will help you improve your driving skills by presenting you with difficult situations that requires instant recognition, extreme hand / eye coordination and..."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember what you said last time," Vidia said cutting her off. "Biggest snow job I ever heard. Not surprising coming from a winter fairy."

Tina and Penny just stood there, dumbstruck as Valerie grinned back at them. The pair thought they had put one over on her. It turned out Valerie knew precisely what the two had been up to all along.

"That's why she's the older sister," Tina finally stated.

Vidia was shown how to "drive" within the game. After a few bad starts and some fairy curse words she began to get the hang of it. Soon the fast flyer moved from the "practice stage" into the actual racing gameplay.

While she was busy Tina and Penny spoke about something else. "Sorry I had to bail on you for the game convention," Tina apologized. "I was just so sick."

"You mean like at the restaurant?"

"Yeah, but worse. My gut felt terrible and I was nauseous for hours."

"Do you know what's wrong?"

"No. I've been searching WebMD. So far I've narrowed it down to about twenty possible conditions including GERD, stomach flu, irritable bowel syndrome, food poisoning, gastroparesis… whatever that is, ulcers, cyclic vomiting syndrome, milk allergy, Crohn's Dis-."

"Okay, okay, I get the idea. Did you eat anything strange?" Penny asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Tina replied, trying to remember each meal for the past few days. "Well, except for that peanut butter and banana sandwich, but that was after the convention."

"Wow, an Elvis sandwich. That's a new one. Maybe it's time you visited the doctor."

"I can't. Not just yet. Mom is still paying off Valerie's medical bills. I don't think she can handle another hospital visit."

"Well, then I guess you need to stock up on some Pepto Bismal and watch what you eat," Penny suggested. "You might want to start with that milk allergy. Don't take any dairy for a while and see what happens."

"Yeah, okay. That sounds like a good idea. Thanks."

"Hey, want to see the costumes I had made up for us?"

"Absolutely."

"Come on, I'll show you."

* * *

**~O~**

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Several months had passed since Belle was taken prisoner as Rumpelstiltskin's "caretaker." It was spring outside. The ice on the mountain where the Dark Castle was located had melted leaving a lush and green landscape in its place. Sadly, no one inside could enjoy it.

Belle was cleaning house as she had each day since coming here. Her master had replaced the formal gown with a blue and white plainclothes dress and blouse. She was standing on a ladder trying to remove the drapes to beat the dust out of them but they wouldn't budge.

"What did you do?" she asked him. "Nail them down?"

"Yes," he replied confused by her need to remove the window covers.

Finally she managed to pull one of the drapes free, but in the process Belle toppled off the ladder. She was caught in the waiting arms of a very surprised Rumpelstiltskin. The bright light of the spring day was temporarily blinding to The Dark One.

She thanked him for catching her. Then apologized for tearing down his drapes. "I'll put them back."

"No. That's okay. I'll get used to it," he told her. Rumpelstiltskin walked away feeling a bit confused. Within him stirred a strange sensation. A feeling he had not known in some time.

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

The coronation had gone off without a hitch. Queen Clarion remembered every word she was to say during the ceremony and she fumbled over only one word during her speech. Now came the procession.

Clarion was in a mouse drawn carriage which took her on a tour of Pixie Hollow so that everyone, fairy and animal alike, could meet their new monarch. The path for her parade was lined with cheering fairies and critters. She did her best to get through it all. While a princess, Queen Clarion had developed a reputation for getting her hands dirty. Sitting up here in the carriage waving to her subjects ran counter to her personality. Clarion was bored. She wanted to be out there with them, not here distant and detached.

The procession wended its way through the three seasons of the warm side: Spring, Summer and Fall. She passed by the communities for every major guild and was heralded at the center of each season. The pageant moved slowly, painfully slowly, along its path until it reached its final destination. A bridge over a babbling stream.

On the others side of this particular bridge was a landscape covered in white. This was the Winter Woods. Off limits to the warm fairies the winter season was overseen by a Lord or Lady of Winter who ruled in the name of the queen.

The royal carriage stopped at the border between the fall and winter seasons. On the opposite side of the river which acted as the boundary hundreds of winter fairies had gathered. This was the other reason for the procession, so the winter residents of Pixie Hollow could meet their new queen.

Standing front and center among the winter fairies was a sparrow man tall and strong. He had dark hair, chiseled features and caring eyes, but it was his way of carrying himself that immediately identified him as the ruler of winter.

"Presenting Clarion the First, queen of all Pixie Hollow and the Winter Woods; defender of the law and ruler of all fairydom," Redleaf bellowed once again. Clarion glided out to the edge of the root bridge where she stood straight and tall as befitting her new station.

Immediately the Lord of Winter knelt before her in fealty. When he did ever other winter fairy knelt, silently proclaiming their undying allegiance to her.

"Rise and speak your name," she said, following the same script used by her mother and every queen since the beginning of Pixie Hollow.

The tall and handsome looking sparrow man stood. "I am Milori, Lord of Winter, ruler of the Winter Woods. My subjects and I live to serve you with full devotion, my queen."

"These are all your subjects?" Queen Clarion asked looking them over. "A fine group they are. You are to be congratulated, Lord Milori."

"Thank you, my queen."

Clarion made a short speech directed specifically at the winter fairies of Pixie Hollow. Under the rule of Queen Clarus, the warm and winter seasons were allowed limited contact at the border. Queen Clarion instead wanted greater integration of the two sides and declared unlimited contact at all the boundaries between the warm and winter seasons. Clarion believed that only with this full integration could Pixie Hollow survive and flourish.

This pronouncement was met with thunderous applause by both the fairies of the Winter Woods and the warm seasons. Clarion's reputation for greater empathy towards the common fairies extended even into the Winter Woods. This new edict while not entirely surprising given Clarion's attitudes, was somewhat unexpected. Most believed the new queen would wait before altering her mother's rules.

Queen Clarion then declared that Milori would continue as ruler of the Winter Woods at her discretion which was also met with great joy by the subjects of the frozen season. This was a common practice when a new queen arrived. It was little more than a formality, but it was a tradition which dated back millennia. When the full ceremony at the border was complete the procession made its way back to the Pixie Dust Tree. As it did Clarion summoned to her side her closest friend, a slightly chubby but enthusiastic tinker fairy named Mary.

"That went well, Your Highness," Mary spoke.

"Thank you, Mary. Tell me, what was your impression of the Lord of Winter?"

"He is well liked among the winter fairies," Mary answered. "Kind hearted, proactive and always seeking to bring out the greatest potential of his subjects."

"Anything else?"

"Well, he is quite handsome," Mary replied, sensing the direction of the queen's curiosity.

Clarion smirked. Her cheeks turned a particularly deep shade of crimson. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

**~O~**

In the Winter Woods, Lord Milori returned to his ice castle. His friend and confidant Dewey, who was also the Keeper of all Fairy Knowledge, was speaking with him. Milori asked Dewey many of the same questions Clarion had asked Mary.

"Do you think she will make a fine queen?" Milori queried.

"Well, she was known as 'The People's Princess' for a reason," Dewey reminded him. "I suspect she'll be as good as, if not better, than Queen Clarus."

Milori considered Dewey's response. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Did you notice anything else about her?"

"Well, eh, she is rather nice looking," Dewey replied, "if you don't mind me saying so."

"Really?" Milori answered, his cheeks turning flush. "I hadn't noticed."

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It was just as Mr. Gold had said. Moe French had indeed broken into the pawn broker's house and stolen the man's property. French clearly had an axe to grind. When Gold arrived at the Sheriff's Office she removed a sheet showing everything that had been recovered.

"This is most of what was stolen," she told him, satisfied that this case was coming together so quickly. "A job well done."

"And the man himself?" Gold asked while searching through the delicate china and flatware that was sitting on the Sheriff's desk.

"I'm closing in on him as we speak," Swan answered. "When I catch him I'll recover the rest of your stolen property."

Mr. Gold tossed the sheet back over the items on the desk in a fit. He stormed out of the room saying, "Job well half done, Sheriff."

Emma was more confused than ever. One thing was certain, however, Gold was looking for something. Something very specific that wasn't included among the items she had returned to him. Whatever it was it must have been incredibly important to him. She didn't care about what or why. What concerned her the most was that Mr. Gold seemed ready to exact revenge on Moe French. Now it was more important than ever to find Mr. French. Not just to capture the thief, but protect him from Mr. Gold.

* * *

**~O~**

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

"Why do you spin so much?" Belle asked her captor. "You have more gold than you could possibly spend."

Rumpelstiltskin was sitting at a great wheel, a variation of the device characterized by a towering wheel. Carefully he put straw into the simple machine with one hand. As he did Rumpel used his free hand to slowly turn the machine with the straw emerging as gold chain on the other side.

Upon hearing her query Rumpelstiltskin continued to spin, but answered, "It helps me forget."

"Forget what?"

He stopped to think about it. "I guess it worked," he answered with a playful grin.

Belle mentioned that while cleaning the rooms she found some clothing that belonged to a child. To satisfy her curiosity Rumpel told her that it belonged to his son. A son whom he lost along with this wife.

"So you were man, once?" she asked, reading between the lines.

"That was a very long time ago," he answered.

There was a thunderous knock at the door. Rumpelstiltskin answered it to find a man in military clothing.

"I am Sir Gaston," he announced. "I am here to-."

Weary of him, Rumpelstiltskin turned Gaston into a rose. He returned to the great hall where he then presented it to Belle as gift. He told her that he acquired it from an old lady selling them. Belle clipped the end of the stem and put the rose into a vase with water.

Then Rumpel turned the questions around. He wanted to know about Gaston, the man she was supposed to marry.

"It was an arranged marriage," she confessed. Belle had no love for the man. She left home and Gaston because she had a desire to do something heroic.

"Oh is that why you came here? To slay the monster? Be the hero? Eh? Eh?" he asked in a silly tone of voice.

"Oh no," Belle replied. Women didn't have many such chances to do heroic deeds in her land. When one presented itself she took it. It had been her hope to see the world and have many grand adventures of the kind she had read in her collection of books. Of course that would be impossible now that she was his caretaker, but at least she was able to do something meaningful with her life that helped other people.

Rumpelstiltskin had developed a strong bond with the girl during her time here. At first she was afraid of him. But as time passed that fearfulness went away. Now she treated him with respect and dignity. She sympathized with him and for him.

Strangely he found himself beginning to reciprocate those feelings. Maybe he was even becoming attracted to her. To that end he asked her to go into town and bring more straw. He was running low.

"You trust me to come back?" she asked him, surprised that he was letting her go alone.

"Oh no. I suspect I will never see you again."

He was giving her the opportunity to escape and return to her father. To be heroic. To live the adventures that up till now she only knew about from her books. Belle donned a cloak and took a sack for the straw and left. She had no intention of returning to the Dark Castle. She was going home.

* * *

**I'm pretty sure Gaston is no more after being turned into a rose and getting his stem clipped.**

**I suppose you Freudians are going to read something into that.**


	130. Chapter 130

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 3**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

"Well, what do you think?" Penny asked.

Tina was absolutely astonished. "Whoa! They're awesome. Where did you get the idea for these?"

"From your sister," Penny answered. "She kept going on about how you were supposed to be Tinker Bell and I was supposed to be your sister Periwinkle so I searched the internet, grabbed some images from those CGI movies and took them to a friend who designed them."

"Wait, you mean there really is a Periwinkle?"

"Yeah, in the next movie," Penny told her. "There is already tons of promotional material on the Disney website." Penny showed her friend an image she had printed. The Periwinkle character was slender with white hair and wore blue colored clothing. "She is supposed to be a frost fairy from the Winter Woods and wants to see butterflies. In the story Tinker Bell is mysteriously drawn to the Winter Woods where she discovers she has a sister named Periwinkle."

Tina was struck by that. "Isn't that what Valerie has been saying all along?"

"Uh huh. Funny how she knew, isn't it?"

Tina looked back towards the room where Valerie was busy playing the racing game. "Downright scary."

Penny handed the green dress to her friend. "Here, check this out."

Tina took her green Tinker Bell costume and looked it over. Penny pointed out the level of detail that had been added to the costume. "See? In the movie the animators put in all these little veins from the leaf Tink used to make her dress. So the seamstress I talked to did the same thing. This thread that runs through the material is just a few shades lighter and replicates the effect almost perfectly. Isn't that awesome?"

"Oh, wow. Now _that_ is attention to detail," Tina replied, completely amazed. Penny then presented the blue dress and leggings for the Periwinkle character.

"And look, just like yours you can see the veins in the blue leaves in this costume, too." Then Penny brought out two sets of fairy wings. Most fairy wings made for costuming are small and tend to be made of a light fabric. The wings which accompanied these costumes were of the correct proportions and were constructed with a nearly invisible material that was strung on a wire frame and then ornately decorated with the same pattern. Penny explained that being sisters both Tinker Bell and Periwinkle shared the same wing pattern.

She then showed off the harnesses for both which were made from clear plastic mesh so the colors underneath could show through and not destroy the overall effect. This was especially true of the Tinker Bell costume which was designed exactly as it was in the movies. Spirit gum was necessary to keep the front falling down.

When Tina saw the completed costumes, her jaw just dropped.

"This is just too much. Even the wings look spectacular," Tina gasped. "Oh how I wish we could have gone to that convention. These would have been the hit of the show."

"Yeah. Though I heard from a friend there was another Tinker Bell in attendance. Her costume wasn't as good as this, though," Penny informed her friend. "Oh, and she was really fat, too."

The two girls stared at each other as they both contemplated a fat Tinker Bell in a tiny green dress.

"Eww!" they said together.

Tina was admiring these incredible reproduction outfits when she had an idea. "Hey, want to put these on and prank my sister?"

Penny beamed with delight. "Absolutely!"

**~O~**

"Hey, guys, the novice level is getting pretty easy," Vidia mentioned while a game was in progress. "How do I change the difficulty?"

Silence. Unbeknownst to her, both Penny and Tina in their respective costumes took their positions right behind the sofa where Valerie was sitting.

"Guys?"

"Right behind you, sis," Tina finally answered. "We've got something to show you. Turn around."

"DYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Startled, Vidia leapt from the couch nearly flipping the steering wheel over. Standing in the room were Tina and Penny dressed as Tinker Bell and Periwinkle, respectively.

"It's you. Both of you. How? Did you get your memories back? Do you finally remember who you are? Wait. How did you get your fairy clothes? …wait a minute."

The two young girls tried to remain composed, but both quickly crumbled into fits of giggles. They apologized for surprising Valerie with the costumes. "No, this what we were going to wear to that video game convention," Penny explained.

"Well? What do you think?" Tina asked.

"Wh-What do I think? I think you two look like yourselves. And it's about time."

"Oh hey, why don't we stand back to back," Tina suggested, giving Penny a knowing wink.

"YES! Yes you should," Vidia answered eagerly. "It will prove what I've been saying all along."

Tina and Penny had worked out their little prank. They were going to stand back to back and pretend they had felt something. Then slowly they were going to turn the entire thing into a farce. But when the two girls actually stood back to back and touched they actually did feel something. A jolt that surprised them and which made them jump from the unexpected sensation.

"Jeepers!" they cried simultaneously. Tina and Penny stared at each other in complete disbelief.

"Did you feel that?" Tina asked the other.

"Yeah, did you?" Penny replied.

"What _was_ that?" Tina asked.

"That's because you're sisters," Vidia tried to explain for the umpteenth time. "You were born from the same laugh."

"No, I think it was just static electricity," Penny deduced, casually throwing out a reasonable explanation like one of the agents from _The X-Files_.

Tina looked relieved. "Yeah, that's all that it was. Static electricity. But still. It was the two of us, and it happened just like Valerie said."

"And while wearing the costumes," Penny added with a touch of disquiet to her voice.

"And you don't have any carpeting," Tina observed.

"Yeah, to prevent static electri-. Uh oh!"

The two girls once again stared at the other, both sharing the same thought. "Oh this is getting spooky!" Penny said.

"It was just a coincidence," Tina remarked. "It has to be."

"Yeah, the costumes don't have anything to do with it," Penny concluded.

"It could have been anything."

"Exactly, there has to be a reasonable, scientific explanation for this event."

"Funny thing, when I felt that spark I could have sworn I saw snow," Tina replied.

"What?! I could have sworn I saw butterflies!" Penny nervously told her.

"Of course you did," Vidia told the girls. "Tink, you were drawn to the Winter Woods to find Periwinkle. Peri, you were desperate to go into the warm seasons to see butterflies."

They paused and looked at each other, shock and anxiety overtaking them.

"I'm getting out this costume," Tina blurted, making a mad dash for the other room.

"I'm right behind you," Penny said, following closely.

"It's not the clothing," Vidia yelled. "You two are sisters. Hey, what about the driving game?"

* * *

**~O~**

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Belle was walking through the forest along the roadside when the queen's carriage approached. Everything about it was black: the carriage, the horses even the knights who protected it were all dressed in black armor. The entire entourage was meant to frighten and intimidate. Regina had even taken to wearing nothing but the darkest ebony colored dresses. Most who lived here saw it as a reflection of the queen's dark and evil heart. She said or did nothing to dispel that notion.

Belle stood aside to the let the caravan pass her by. She wanted nothing to do with the queen. However, Regina's carriage stopped. "I'm sorry, did I splash you?" Regina asked?

The day had been rainy and puddles were found all along the road.

"No," Belle answered. Regina decided to accompany the young woman on foot. The carriage and escorts followed closely behind. As they walked Regina could see in Belle's face that she had a problem.

"Master or lover?"

Belle said nothing, but the look on her face said it all.

"Oh…, master and lover."

It was complicated, the girl explained. She was actually running away. Belle had fallen in love with her captor, but she could not stay with him. A terrible evil had taken root within the man, it had changed him.

Regina identified it as a curse. She explained that true love's kiss can break even the strongest curse. But only if he loved her back. Belle thought he did. It was the evil within him that was preventing it from showing through.

Now she was conflicted. Belle wanted to go home, but she was also given the path to helping Rumpelstiltskin redeem himself. Of course, if the kiss did not work she could be trapped there forever.

What a terrible decision she had to make.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Penny and Vidia were now playing the racing game together. The difficulty level had been raised to intermediate at Valerie's request. Tina watched from the recliner. She kept tugging at her brassiere.

"That's the last time I put Spirit Gum on my boobs," she muttered.

Vidia just gave her quizzical look.

"Well how else was I supposed to keep that Tinker Bell dress from falling down," Tina answered. "It's not like it had a strap or anything."

"It always stayed up in Pixie Hollow," Valerie told her.

"How?"

"Force of will?" Penny joked.

"And why do you insist on telling me that I'm Tinker Bell," Tina barked at Valerie.

"Because you are," Vidia stated. "You are Tinker Bell and she is Periwinkle, your sister."

"And what does that make us!?" Tina shouted. "What, you don't want to be my sister anymore? Is that it?"

"No, I-."

"Hey, c'mon guys," Penny said trying to intervene. "We're playing a game, remember?"

Tina wasn't listening. Now she stood and with a twisted scowl on her face began screaming at Vidia. "You never wanted me around! When Mom brought me home you told her to take me back and get a pony. When she didn't you put a sign on the front lawn to sell me off."

"You did that?" Penny asked Valerie.

"That wasn't me," Vidia said in her defense.

"How could you not remember? You hated having me as a sister!" Tina said, screaming even louder. "When I was five you told me a big, ugly monster lived under my bed and that he was going to bite off my toes if I stepped on floor. It took Mom hours to convince me you were lying." Tears began to stream down Tina's cheeks. Her eyes puffed up and her face turned deeper and deeper shades of red.

Vidia and Penny stared in disbelief. Tina had been argumentative before, but this was different. Her tone revealed she was agitated by something neither could understand. Besides, Tina was well aware of Valerie's mental trauma. Something wasn't right, but neither knew what it might be.

"You put gum in my hair when I was six," Tina said, continuing her tear filled verbal assault against Valerie. "You cut it out and left me with big chunks missing. Then you told Mom that I did it. She wouldn't let me near a pair of scissors for a whole year! You put Jell-O in my shoes, short sheeted my bed and you ripped all the heads off of my dolls."

"Tina, are you okay. Is anything wrong?" Penny asked her friend with growing concern.

"She's is what is wrong," Tina said accusingly, pointing at Valerie. "When Dad died I was only eight years old. I couldn't understand why he wasn't coming home. I was too young to fully comprehend the concept of death and I kept asking you and Mom to explain why Dad wasn't there anymore. Do you know what you told me, Valerie? DO YOU? You said I was an annoying little monster who pestered everyone and Dad couldn't put up with anymore, so he left because he didn't want to be around me anymore."

"Whoa! You said that?" Penny asked, turning Valerie.

"What? Tink, what are you talking about?"

"You made me believe my Dad didn't love me anymore," Tina shrieked. "When Mom told me you lied I hated you for it. I hated you because you were so mean. You were mean because you never wanted a little sister then and you don't want a little sister now."

"Tina, I don't think that's what she meant," Penny said trying to calm down the young blonde.

"I! HATE! YOU!" Tina shouted to Valerie, stomping her foot on the ground for emphasis. "You should have run away when you had the chance," Tina said, referencing all the times Valerie had threatened to leave the family and strike out on her own. She then spun around on her heels and ran into the bedroom, crying.

"What was that all about?" Vidia asked. She wasn't expecting an answer. Penny was as much in the dark as she was. Instead, she gave voice to the confusion both were experiencing at that moment. Tina had always been a little sensitive whenever Valerie had mentioned that she and Penny were supposed to be sisters, but this outburst was beyond anything Vidia or Penny had ever expected.

"You stay here and keep practicing," Penny instructed Valerie. "I'm going to go talk to her."

"Yeah, you do that."

* * *

**Only four more reviews to three hundred. Who wants to post that mythical three hundredth review?**


	131. Chapter 131

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 4**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It was evening and The Rabbit Hole was jam packed with patrons. A few were the regulars, tilting a pint or two before going home. With this being Valentine's Day many here were lonely hearts looking for love. Or in some cases just a satisfying hook up.

Among the noisy crowd and pulsating background music were Ruby, Claire, Mary Margaret and Ashley. The four woman had gathered around a small table and were sipping drinks. Each was dressed in attractive clothing. Ruby wore a slinky dress in a deep crimson.

"Is it always this crowded in the evening?" Claire asked.

"Always," Ruby said, apparently speaking with the voice of experience. Everyone knew that Ruby was the easiest girl in town. Her friends didn't care. Deep down she was a truly nice person. "Where is Hartley?" she asked of Claire.

"Oh, he has this big project he has to finish by tonight," the mother of two answered. "He'll pick me up around eight."

"That's the whole night gone right there," Mary Margaret commented.

"Not for me it isn't," Ruby casually announced. Her eyes were roaming, looking for someone. She spied three good looking men in suits at the bar. She pointed one out to Ashley and offered to introduce him to her.

"Oh, I'm still with Sean," Ashley said, reminding her.

Ruby turned that around by saying that Sean had not yet proposed. In fact, tonight he was at work again. Ashley smiled, but gently refused her offer.

"Claire? Care for a little fun before your guy gets here?"

She chuckled. "I'm old enough to be their mother."

"Okay, suit yourself. More for me," Ruby said before leaving for her next conquest. She approached the three young men with a reckless abandon, engaging them in conversation. Within seconds she was holding court as the trio of young men were utterly beguiled by her youthful beauty.

Mary Margaret sighed. With Ruby gone and Claire waiting for her date to arrive their girls night out was falling apart.

"What I really need is a 'be with my guy night'," Ashley said. "Sean is always working and I'm usually taking care of the baby. It's like we're together, but we're not really together."

Mary Margaret listened and quietly agreed with her. Her own romantic entanglement was equally problematic.

Claire, though, assured Ashley that one day she'll get her wish. "Sean loves you," Claire reassured the young mother. "He is working hard because he only wants the best for you and your baby. And I know from experience how difficult that can be."

Then, as if on cue, a young man approached the young blonde woman. It was Sean, a bouquet of roses in hand. He was dressed in his work uniform and he had a slight smell of fish to him. Sean was on a break from work. He tried to talk to her, hemming and hawing a bit before apologizing for not being there as much. He then knelt down in front of her and held out a ring. "Ashley, will you marry me?" Sean asked.

The girl was taken aback, uncertain what to say.

"I've only got twenty minutes," Sean told her.

"YES!" she said excitedly, embracing her new fiancé. Sean then asked Ashley to go on a drive before he had to return to work. She agreed, accompanying him outside.

Claire remembered when Charlie proposed. It was so romantic, he had prepared everything in advance so that it would be truly memorable. "It looks like Cupid's arrow has struck again," Claire said, a big smile on her face. She was so very happy for Ashley.

A quick tingle caught Claire's attention. She had received a text message on her phone. It was Hartley who was waiting for her across the street. "I'm sorry Mary Margaret," Claire apologized to the schoolteacher.

"It's alright. I think I'll just go home." The two women left the establishment. From the sidewalk both watched as Sean drove off with Ashley in the company truck. They appeared quite blissful together.

Almost immediately after, Mary Margaret and Claire ran into David Nolan. Claire excused herself, walking to meet with Hartley who was waiting for her at the far curb.

David then presented Mary Margaret with a Valentine's Day card. She was so excited to receive one from him, even if they had to do it sneaking around. Mary Margaret opened it. It had a cute drawing of a dog with the inscription "Kathryn, I wuf you."

"Oh, sorry," David said, immediately recognizing he had given her the wrong card, thus damaging their moment together. He took it back and pulled from his jacket the right one, but it was too late.

"David, I always thought that if two people were meant to be together they would find a way," she told him, clearly disheartened by his error. "But if this is our way then we need to find another one, because this isn't working." With that she walked away, leaving David to contemplate both his mistake and his future with Mary Margaret and Kathryn.

**~O~**

Across the street Hartley Winter awaited his lady love.

"You're early," Claire said with a cheery smile. "What about your big project."

"It's finished" he replied. "Would you like to come see it?"

"You mean it wasn't a job?"

"No."

"What is it?" Claire asked him.

"You'll just have to wait and see," he answered with a mischievous smile and twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, how mysterious," she commented as Hartley assisted her into his personal vehicle, a 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante convertible.

**~O~**

Hartley's big project turned out to be a new room addition to his house. Specifically, it was a stained wood panel room at the center of which was a hot tub filled and ready. He turned on the jets and the water began to bubble.

"You expect me to get into that?" she asked him.

"Absolutely," he told her. He put his hands on her arms and whispered, "Think of it as welcome respite from the cold of winter."

"So this is why you insisted I bring a bathing suit this evening." She smiled. "I love it."

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

"Love is weakness."

Those words were some of the last Queen Clarus spoke to her daughter before the reigning monarch died. It was her love and attachments that allowed the pirates to find Pixie Hollow. Many of the fairies she was supposed to protect perished as a result. This left the new queen highly conflicted.

Clarion was known as The People's Princess because the young princess chose to live, work and play with the different guilds on the belief that it would better inform her decision making as queen. Of course then it was merely academic, her mother was the regent. But following her mother's death and her own coronation Clarion was faced with the reality of being an effective ruler.

She wanted to be compassionate, but those words her mother said wouldn't go away.

"Love is weakness."

"If love is compassion then I must be distant and cold," she concluded. She not only became detached with regard to her subjects but also to her closest friend Mary. Her people were well aware of the terrible loss the queen felt, yet her aloof approach did not sit well with them. They had come to know her as being very kindhearted and considerate. Now she had abandoned those traits and pulled away from them.

This, Clarion thought, was how to rule a kingdom properly. Soon, however, she began to feel lonely and empty. Clarion had felt pangs of emerging romantic feelings towards Lord Milori. She was forced to abandon those feelings to follow the advice her mother had given her. If Clarion were to fall for the handsome Lord of Winter that love might force her to divide her loyalties as it had her mother.

The pain of her seclusion, though, began to eat at her. Clarion desperately wanted advice on what to do, but by keeping everyone at arm's length she had effectively isolated herself from the very people who could have helped her.

Now the young queen truly was alone.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

The combination of hot water and hot toddies were a soothing combination for Claire and Hartley. She thoroughly enjoyed his surprise. Sitting here, together in this hot tub turned into the most romantic evening of her life.

Claire and Hartley talked regularly throughout the evening. He kissed her frequently and she kissed him back with equal enthusiasm. She could have stayed here for hours with Hartley enjoying herself, and they nearly did. When she noticed the time Claire excused herself.

"Thank you for this wonderful evening," she told him while kissing his cheek. She then took a towel to dry off. "I hope we can make use of this again in the future."

"I would like that very much, because I built it for you," he announced.

"You what?" she gasped looking at the tub and the room. "This is all for me?"

"Claire, do you remember when you asked why I never married before?"

"Yes." She wondered why he was suddenly bring this up right now.

"You should know that I have dated other women in the past," he explained. "But nothing ever came of it. The reason was simple. From the moment I first laid eyes upon you I was smitten. However, you were married at the time and Charlie was a dear friend of mine. But even if he wasn't I am no bounder."

"Hartley, what are you saying?"

"What I am saying, dearest Claire, is that you have always been my one true love."

She was so moved by his declaration. All this time and she never knew.

"I'll show you to the bath so you can change," he said.

"Hartley, wait." She walked to him and stared into his face. He was so handsome, but his eyes ached with the love he had suppressed all these years. All the loneliness he felt. She understood the feeling, Claire had been so lonely and felt so isolated since Charlie passed away. At that moment she made a decision. Claire slid her fingers under the straps of her swim suit. She pulled them down slowly, gradually revealing herself to him. When the suit lay on the wood floor she stood before him in all her naked glory.

She looked into his eyes, wordlessly asking, _Do you want me? Do you love me?_

He replied by taking her cheeks into his hands and kissing Claire passionately. Then he swept the woman he desperately loved into his arms and gently carried her off.

* * *

**Congratulations to lauraotaku22 for being the 300th reviewer for this story. The support of all the readers is greatly appreciated.**

**Hartley Winter's Aston Martin is the same car driven by James Bond in the film _The Living Daylights_ which starred Timothy Dalton as the British super spy.**

**Thank you to everyone for reading.**


	132. Chapter 132

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 5**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Vidia was sitting alone in the kitchen eating a late dinner. Several half empty boxes of Chinese food sat on the kitchen table. When she and Tina returned home from Penny's house earlier that day the young blonde retreated to her bedroom immediately without saying another word. The strange outburst earlier had left Vidia's mind spinning. Adoption or not Tina did not appreciate being told, even by implication, that she and Valerie were not sisters. But never before had she reacted so irrationally.

The swinging door opened and Tina slowly entered. Valerie looked directly at her, but Tina averted her eyes. The younger girl slid over to the other side of the table and checked the boxes of food.

"Moo goo gai pan?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah," Vidia replied cautiously. "It's surprisingly good."

"Delivery?"

"Uh huh."

"Can I have some?"

"Go ahead."

Tina took some of the moo goo gai pan, fried rice and an egg roll. In a bowl she spooned some of the egg drop soup. She sat down at the table and began to nibble at her food. Remembering she needed a drink Tina stood and pulled a can of Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator. "May I?"

"Sure."

Tina ate without making any eye contact with Vidia. She wasn't angry or irritated. To the contrary the girl seemed deeply saddened or depressed. Half way into her dinner tears began to roll down Tina's cheeks. She sniffled through a few more bites before speaking.

"Val. Are we still… sisters?" She could barely squeak out the words. It was as if she was afraid of what the answer might be.

Vidia didn't really know how to answer that. She knew that Tinker Bell and Periwinkle were the real sisters. But here in Storybrooke she and Tina were the siblings. To answer truthfully Vidia had to think about her friendship with Tinker Bell from Pixie Hollow. They, along with Silvermist, Rosetta, Fawn and Iridessa had formed a close knit friendship. Among humans in this century that might be enough to be loosely described as "sisterhood." She decided it was enough to justify her answer.

"Yeah, we are," Vidia quietly answered.

Tina said nothing, but she did appear relieved by that response. "I'm sorry," she finally spoke, her voice barely audible. "I'm sorry for saying all those terrible things about you, Val. You've always been there for me."

Vidia nearly blurted out the words _I have?_ but caught herself, afraid to induce another violent rebuke from Tina. "I'm sorry for all those bad things I did to you," she answered instead, effectively apologizing for all the unpleasantness she had visited upon Tinker Bell in Pixie Hollow before they had become close friends at the home of Lizzy Griffiths.

"When…," Tina began before chocking up. "When I was in grade school some girls hated me because I was different. I was a bit of a tomboy and liked fixing things. One day they followed me home. Those girls started to insult me, calling me lots of terrible things." Tina didn't want to remember with too much clarity that moment. She had always been viewed as strange and was sometimes an outcast among her peers at school. These memories were clearly painful for her to recall. "Then they ganged up on me, hitting me on our front lawn. You saw them. Do you remember what you did?"

"Um… refresh my memory."

"You ran outside and started punching those girls as hard as could, kicking and clawing at them until they stopped and ran off," Tina recalled. "You told them that if they ever bothered me again they would have to answer to you. Then you brought me inside and we had some cereal. You said those mean girls just wanted me to feel bad because I was good at something and they weren't. You made me feel better about my tools and tinkering."

"I did all of that?"

"Yeah. I never forgot."

Tina then told Valerie all the times she helped the girl with her homework, brushed her hair when their parents were working, how Val let Tina watch her favorite show on the big TV in the living room even when Valerie's favorite television show was airing at the same time.

"When Dad died Mom had to explain why he wasn't coming home. I couldn't really understand it very well. One night, I came into your room and climbed into your bed with you. I started crying because I wanted my daddy back. You put your arm around me and said, 'I want my daddy back, too.'"

Tina put her now empty plate into the sink and the soda can into the recycle bin. She walked to the door, but stopped. She whirled around on her heel and grabbed Valerie into a big embrace. "You're my sister, Valerie. I love you. Don't ever stop wanting to be my big sister."

This made Vidia very uncomfortable, she wasn't the touchy feely type. Tina was sniffling and tearing up. "Uh…, I won't. I lu-," she had trouble saying that word. "I lu-. I mean, we are sisters. Always"

Tina let go and disappeared back into the house. Vidia was left reeling, feeling even more confused. "What was _that_ all about?"

Vidia put the remainder of the food into the refrigerator. One of the bags had funny shaped treat in it. She took a bite but had to spit it out. Inside of the crispy treat was a slip of paper. "How did this get in there?" The slip had writing on it. It read, _Love and compassion are the strongest forces in the universe._

She turned to look at the swinging door through which Tina had just exited. "Wow, this really is getting spooky."

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

Queen Clarion was meeting with the Milori, the Lord of Winter. They met at the border between Spring and Winter. It was the annual meeting to discuss the progress of the winter fairies and the upcoming winter season on the mainland. This was their fourth such conference since Clarion had become queen of Pixie Hollow.

As before the queen was as coldly distant and businesslike as possible. Any feelings she had for the Lord of Winter were buried as deeply as possible. In spite of this, when she first spied him this morning standing across the way her heart skipped a beat. In the year since their last summit she had forgotten just how handsome Milori truly was. Everything about him reflected a man with a deep sense of honor and responsibility. Yet somehow he managed to be everything the young queen was not.

Milori may have been made uncomfortable by her, but if he was he hid behind perfect professionalism. However, the queen took notice of something, or perhaps she only imagined it. Her isolation and detachment had made her not only lonely but also highly skeptical of others and even a bit paranoid. It was no secret that her subjects had come to regard her with growing disdain. They provided her with time to grieve the loss of her mother, but when she did not return to her previous form that sympathy turned cold.

Somehow Milori still had the love and loyalty of his people. "How do you manage to be a good ruler and still retain the respect of your subjects?" she asked him.

"It is a skill that takes time to master," he replied. "I knew your mother well and though she was detached she was never distant from her subjects. Queen Clarus loved them very much, almost as much as she loved you and your father."

"On her deathbed my mother taught me that love is weakness," she responded with a haughty air.

"That was the trauma of loss talking," Milori informed her. "If she were here today I dare say she would be most disappointed with you."

"How dare you speak such a thing to your queen," Clarion snapped. "Queen Clarus was a truly great monarch, a ruler far beyond even your feeble ability to understand."

Her words did not injure the Lord of Winter as she had intended. Instead he regarded her with pity and sympathy. As if it were his mission to help her rise to her potential. A potential Clarion was certain she had already attained.

"Go beyond her death and you will find a woman who loved and cared with an open heart," Milori said. "It was what drove her to be the very best regent she could. To be a most loving wife and mother. By turning cold and unemotional you are betraying your mother's legacy. You are so much better than that, Your Highness."

"I know precisely who and what I am and it is none of your business to tell me otherwise. Our meeting is at an end," she sniffed. "Good day, Lord Milori. Please attend to your duties."

With that last remark Queen Clarion turned and fluttered away, her head held high in a superior fashion. Yet deep inside Milori's words stung her severely. Something, some remnant of her mother told her he was right. Clarion chose not to listen, but that voice refused to be silent. It refused to quiet itself until she did.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Claire opened her eyes. She was in a strange bed and equally unfamiliar bedroom. The décor was simple and understated, with colors favoring the cooler side of the scale. Paintings on the wall featured snowcapped mountains or forests in winter. There were also photos of nature including Snowy Owls, majestic bison and jaunty snowshoe rabbits. On the nightstand was a snapshot. It caught her attention. It was a digital picture frame which silently shuffled through several photos of her and Hartley together taken after they had started dating.

She looked over her shoulder and found the sleeping form of Hartley Winter in the bed next to her. His arm was across her waist. Claire sat up on the side of the bed, she pulled the sheet around her naked body in an act of modesty and remorse. Whether it was the romantic mood or the alcohol she now regretted her decision to sleep with Hartley. Yes, it was the most wondrous night she had experienced in many years. Yes, she loved him dearly. What bothered her was whether she did this for all the wrong reasons. Was she desperate? Had her loneliness and feelings of isolation driven her to a premature night with the man?

And there were other concerns.

"Claire? My dear are you all right?" Hartley asked her. Her movements had apparently roused the man from his pleasant slumber.

"This was a mistake," she told him.

"What? How can you say that?"

"You're not a parent," she told him. "And you're certainly not a mother of two girls. I can't act foolishly and tell my girls they can't. I am their role model. My behavior has to be the same as what I expect of them. How can I tell them not to go sleeping around when I'm doing that exact thing?"

"Claire, this isn't sleeping around," Hartley reminded her.

"It won't matter to them," she replied. "As far as they would be concerned, I'll be a hypocrite. I would be no different than Ruby."

"You are not Ruby. And they don't have to find out," he suggested.

"That would be lying!" she answered him, shocked he would say such a thing.

"Claire, I understand how much your girls mean to you, but they aren't little children anymore," he said. "They are grown women, Valerie is twenty four…"

"And Tina is sixteen, still very impressionable."

"My dear, you have made so many sacrifices for the sake of your family," he said. "You have denied yourself so much for Valerie and Tina's well-being. But what about your own? Don't you think that it's time for you to start doing for yourself what you've put aside for so long?"

"Oh you make it sound so easy," she answered. "But I can't-."

"I'm not asking you to abandon your responsibilities," he whispered, "just to tend to your own wants and needs once in a while."

"This isn't easy for me, Hartley. I want to indulge when I feel the need, but I'm sorry, I can't. I won't. My responsibilities at home come first. They always will."

She looked him in the eye expecting this to be the end of their relationship. Instead, he smiled and kissed her. "Then why don't we just go back to dating exclusively, until we are both ready to take this step once again."

"I'd like that, thank you." As much as he wanted their relationship to stay at this level of intimacy, he proved himself to be a most understanding suitor. It was a pleasant surprise for Claire who appreciated that Hartley was so willing put her needs above his own desires. Not many men would do such a thing and in such a gallant manner.

Claire and Hartley dressed. He drove her back to The Rabbit Hole where she had parked her minivan. The bar was still attracting patrons and the parking lot was filled to capacity that parked cars lined the curb on both sides of the street.

"Thank you again for this wonderful evening," she told him.

"May I call on you tomorrow evening?" he asked. "The dinner theater on Woodlawn is staging a production of _Man of La Mancha_. Lydia the young woman who defended Valerie in court will be playing Aldonza."

"Oh absolutely," she told him. "I wouldn't miss it."

"Can I pick you up at six?"

"I'll be ready." She kissed him adoringly before retreating to her minivan and then back home to her girls.

**~O~**

Tina was getting ready for bed. She opened her closet to retrieve her pajamas. Instead she took the Tinker Bell outfit that Penny had given her today and slipped it on. It felt strangely natural. Natural enough that she chose to sleep in it all night long.

**~O~**

Penny was going through her clothing wondering why she didn't have more blue in her wardrobe. _I like blue_, she told herself. _Icy, snowy blue._ The thoughts of ice and snow compelled her to lower the temperature on her central air system by a couple of degrees. By the time she bed down for the night the thermostat was down to seventy. In the morning she dropped it even lower, to sixty five. Penny never felt uncomfortable with the lower room temperature. In fact, it felt strangely normal to her.

**~O~**

Somewhere on a lonely road leading out of town and into the woods was a delivery van. On the panels were the words "Game of Thorns." The driver was Mr. Gold. In the cargo area was another man. Moe French, the owner of the flower shop. He had not come willingly. He was bound with rope and gagged with duct tape.

Mr. French was afraid for his life and with good reason. Gold was about to exact vengeance on the man.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who is reading even after all this time. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Your feedback is always welcomed and greatly appreciated.**

**Okay, so now that this story has surpassed three hundred reviews, who is going to submit the 400th review? Any takers? **


	133. Chapter 133

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 6**

* * *

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Rumpelstiltskin was a bit surprised to see Belle walk in the door with a sack full of straw. However, he did not show it outwardly. "Back so soon?" he asked. He was running low on straw was his explanation.

"Be honest, you're happy to see me," she prodded nicely.

"I'm not unhappy," he responded with a sweet smile.

When she left, Rumpel had offered to fill her in on what happened to his son. "I lost him," he told her, "That's all there really is to it."

"And you haven't loved anyone since?"

"Why did you come back?" Rumpelstiltskin asked Belle, more than a little curious.

"I wasn't going to, but something changed my mind," was her reply. Belle had concluded that he brought her to his castle because he was lonely. That even The Dark One needed what all people need: companionship. And that he thought he was uglier than he truly was which was why he kept all the mirrors in the castle covered up.

Belle didn't think he was ugly. She had seen the real person behind "the monster." The person no one else saw. Rumpel was taken by her honest sweetness. He leaned over and kissed her. As they did the dark curse that had infected Rumpelstiltskin began to recede. Belle noticed as the discoloration in his skin began to fade. Rumpel was turning back into the man he was before, the man he was meant to be.

"It's working, kiss me again," she begged him.

"What?"

"True love's kiss. It's breaking the curse." She leaned in to kiss him again, but Rumpelstiltskin quickly got his wits about him again.

"Who told you that?!" he screamed, pushing her away. "Where did you hear that?!"

"She… she…"

"She? The Queen! You're working with the Queen!" Rumpel leapt from his spinning wheel and yanked a cover from something, revealing a full length mirror underneath. "You evil soul! This was you, you turned her against me!" he yelled into the mirror, pointing angrily. He was yelling at Regina through the mirror. "You think you can make me weak? That you can defeat me?"

He turned on his heels, "How did she get to you?" Rumpelstiltskin accused her of working in league with Regina to undermine him so that Regina could destroy him and become the most powerful user of dark magic in the land. But then he remembered how she wanted to have heroic adventures and thought that perhaps she was working alone and was trying to fulfill her dream of becoming the heroine and slaying the beast.

"No. It was working," she said, pleading with him. "It means its true love."

"Shut up!"

"Why won't you believe me?"

He grabbed Belle, shaking her as he roared his tirade. "Because no one, no one can ever love me!"

He then dragged back down to the lower levels and tossed her into the dungeon in a fit of anger and betrayal.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

At the abandoned cabin where Mary Margaret and David had once taken shelter during the big storm, Mr. Gold was interrogating the helpless Mr. French. Mr. Gold pressed the tip of his cane into the man's throat, crushing his windpipe and making it harder and harder for Mr. French to breathe. He demanded to know where _it_ was and who told him to take _it_. He removed the cane on the condition Mr. French reveal the location of his missing property.

Moe French's response, though, was not the one Mr. Gold was expecting. "I needed that van."

"Now that is not a good first sentence." Gold reacted by whipping Mr. French with his cane. "Where is it?" he demanded, howling with anger and cold vengeance. Mr. French said it was not his fault. He hoped this would quiet the pawn broker, instead it infuriated him even more.

"Not your fault?" Gold repeated with complete disbelief. "You shut her out, you hurt her, and now she's gone! And it's all! Your! Fault!"

Gold began whipping the man with his cane again, screaming _it's your fault_ with each blow. The more Gold yelled at him the angrier he got. Each swing became harder and more painful than the last. He even began to take pleasure from beating Moe French.

"You're her father!" Gold yelled as he was more than prepared to beat the man to death, enjoying every moment of his vengeful anger. Moe French screamed in agonizing pain, begging for mercy from a man who had none to offer this man.

Gold kept swinging until Sheriff Emma Swan stopped him. She had followed him, receiving a tip about the van from an unknown source. "That's enough!"

* * *

**~O~**

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Rumpelstiltskin, furious from the betrayal and broken heart grabbed a fire poker and began swinging it at his glass case, smashing the doors and some of his treasured trinkets. Having vented his anger, he dropped the metal rod before sinking into a bought of weeping and regret.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

An ambulance was taking the battered Moe French to the hospital. Emma said Mr. Gold was lucky, nothing was broken. Gold wasn't particularly impressed by use of the word "lucky."

"You have a funny definition of the word, Sheriff," he told her.

"You have a funny definition of justice," she responded. "What did he do?"

"He stole from me," he said with glaring understatement.

"That reaction was more than about theft," she observed. "What did you mean: 'he hurt her,' if someone is in trouble maybe I can help?"

He declined her offer and wanted to leave claiming their business was at an end. However, their business was not at an end. Gold had kidnapped a man and violently assaulted him. Emma Swan arrested the pawn broker on those grounds.

* * *

**~O~**

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

Rumpelstiltskin unlocked the door to Belle's dungeon cell, ordering her to leave. He didn't want her anymore was his excuse. However, Belle correctly surmised that Rumpelstiltskin doesn't believe she can love him, that anyone can love him. Rumpelstiltskin, however, informs her that his powers are more important to him than anything or anyone.

Belle, disappointed with the man, calls him a coward to his face and declares, "Now you've made your choice, and you're going to regret if forever. All you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup."

With her gone Rumpel, knowing full well the truth in her words, takes the tea service Belle often used to serve him and begins to throw with full force the pieces into the wall, smashing them. He continues until he comes to that one chipped cup, which he cannot bring himself to destroy.

Instead, he removes one of his treasured collections from its perch and replaces it with the chipped cup. It becoming the most valuable object in the house to him now.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

It was late when Claire returned from her date with Hartley. She checked on her girls and found each one fast asleep. She smiled, but her heart broke. Claire did not kiss them goodnight or tell each girl how much she loved them. Claire thus rectified this after the fact. She quietly snuck into Tina's bedroom, kissed the girl on her forehead and whispered. "Sleep tight, my darling. Mommy loves you."

She did the same with Valerie, kissing the young woman on her forehead and saying much the same thing. "Goodnight, my dear. Thank you for watching over Tina. You've been a big help. Mommy loves you."

From there she retreated to her own bedroom, changed into her night clothes and went to sleep. Despite her protests that she couldn't sleep with him again, Claire had an enjoyably romantic dream about Hartley Winter. One that left her more than delighted when she woke the next day.

**~O~**

When morning arrived Vidia descended the stairs for breakfast. As soon as she entered the kitchen Claire grabbed her and began dancing around the floor. The impromptu dance ended when she spun Vidia out of her grasp and into a chair. Whatever had happened last night, it had left Claire in a fantastic mood this morning.

Vidia continued to watch as the older woman glided around the floor humming to herself and bursting with energy. "Good morning, my little one," Claire finally said, addressing her for the first time this morning. She put down a plate with two eggs, and bacon shaped in a smiley face. Dollar pancakes stood in for hair while two sausage links made a nose. Claire kissed Vidia on the temple once before saying, "Enjoy."

After yesterday, Vidia was getting a little nervous. It seemed that too many strange things were beginning to happen in this house. It only got worse when Tina swung open the door wearing her Tinker Bell costume complete with green ballet shoes and clear wings.

Claire spun around, still humming to herself and in full dance mode, to see her youngest at the table. "Daa dee daAAAAAAA! What are you wearing?!"

"It's what I always wear," Tina responded casually.

Vidia wanted to agree with the young blonde, but wisely held her tongue.

"No, you are not wearing that… that… thing to school," Claire admonished. "You can see almost everything. Now go back upstairs and change. Scoot!"

Tina curled up one side of her face before looking down and suddenly realizing what clothes she had put on this morning. "What? Where did his come from?"

"I don't care, just go and change," Claire asked again. Tina retreated back up the stairs. Claire sat down, taking in a few deep breaths. "What has gotten into that girl?"

Vidia knew. Or at least she had an idea.

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**Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**


	134. Chapter 134

**Disney's Tinker Bell in Storybrooke**  
**A Disney Fairies / Once Upon A Time Crossover**  
**Season 1, Episode 12, Chapter 7**

* * *

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

Mr. Gold waited patiently. He was sitting in the jail cell of the Sheriff's Office while Sheriff Swan was eating a sandwich. She offered him half, "You know, I still owe you that favor. A delicious way to clear the books."

He declined, claiming that when he called in the favor it would be for more than a bite of food.

Seconds later Mayor Regina Mills entered with her son Henry in tow. Her first words shocked Ms. Swan. "Sheriff, you have thirty minutes to visit with Henry." She wanted to be alone with the prisoner for a while. After shaking off the surprise Emma took Henry to the ice cream shop at Henry's request.

Once the room was empty Regina sat down next to the pawn broker's cell. He knew why she was here.

"You put him up to it, didn't you?" he asked, referring to Moe French breaking into his house. Several people had seen the altercation between Mr. Gold and Mr. French when the pawn broker repossessed the truck as collateral. Regina was among them, even remarking on the ugly scene.

Regina smiled, knowing she had the upper hand. She decided to use it for all it was worth. She had this sneaking suspicion, one that had been nagging at her for weeks but which she could not confirm. The mayor never had the leverage to use against the pawn broker until right this very minute.

She coyly avoided the question while providing the answer he sought. "I merely told him that men of power take what they want." Moe French didn't take those things by accident, Regina had indeed put him up to it. Even specifying what to take that would cause Mr. Gold the most emotional pain.

"Do you have what I want?" he asked her.

"Let's make a deal," she replied.

Gold was accustomed to taking advantage of those who were in a desperate situation. It allowed him to construct deals in his favor. Now he was on the opposite side of it. He was the one who was now in the desperate situation. Regina knew this or she wouldn't have suggested it.

The pawn broker recognized what she was doing and professed no interest in any deals with the mayor. However, she reminded him that with no deal he did not get his property back. He had been effectively backed into a wall. Gold agreed.

"I just want you to answer a simple question," the mayor stated. "What's your name?"

"Mr. Gold," he replied, amused at this foolishly simple request.

"Your real name," she added for clarification. "Have you gone by any other?"

"Mr. Gold has been my name for all the days I've lived on this Earth," he said definitively.

She smiled. Regina knew he was trying to avoid the answer and hoping she wouldn't notice.

"What about time spent elsewhere?"

Mr. Gold acted a bit confused by her query. But Regina insisted he answer her question or lose his property forever. "What's! Your! Name!"

Realizing he had no other choice he finally spoke, quietly seething that he had been outmaneuvered by her. "Rumpelstiltskin, Your Majesty," he replied with a seething hatred for her. This confirmed her suspicions. He did remember, and as much as she did.

From her purse Regina removed a small tea cup with a chip in it. She held it out to Mr. Gold who took it greedily, coddling it as though it were impossibly priceless. Regina told the pawn broker that things were going to change. Mr. Gold, however, said in no uncertain terms that nothing was going to change. Not in Storybrooke or between them, even suggesting that he would be running this town instead of her given enough time.

The mayor wasn't fazed by his statement. He was behind bars after all. And she had one more ace up her sleeve.

* * *

**~O~**

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The doors to Rumpelstiltskin's Dark Castle opened. The Evil Queen, Regina, entered. She had a request.

"I need to talk to you about a certain…, mermaid."

He had absolutely no interest in helping her, especially after what events she helped set into motion. "Your deception failed, Your Majesty," he hissed. "You will never be more powerful than me."

Regina was well versed in dark magic, the same kind that Rumpelstiltskin used. In fact, she had once been his student. But where Regina never finished her training and wielded her powers like a broadsword, Rumpelstiltskin had mastered every facet of the magic, applying it with the precision of a scalpel.

The Evil Queen had no idea what he was talking about. She did convey some news that was of interest to him. "Did you hear about that girl who used to work of your? What was her name again?"

"Belle."

"Oh yes. Belle." Then the queen recounted what happened to Belle when she returned home. She was shunned by the villagers and her father because of her association with him and because her fiancé had disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

"She needs… a home?" he asked, truly concerned about Belle's well-being.

The queen laughed. Rumpelstiltskin clearly did not know. Her father locked the girl in a tower alone, where she was cleansed by clerics using the most torturous methods imaginable. Unable to endure her imprisonment any longer, Belle flung herself to her death.

Before leaving, the queen commented that the castle is looking a little dusty. "You need a new girl."

Rumpelstiltskin wept. The only person who had loved him unconditionally was gone. Belle was lost forever all because he could not give up his power for anyone.

* * *

**~O~**

STORYBROOKE, MAINE

In the basement of Storybrooke General Hospital is a psychological ward for the insane. At the desk worked a severe looking woman who could be mistaken for Nurse Ratchet from _One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest_. The mayor stopped at the nurse's desk and asked if anyone had come to see her today.

"No," the severe nurse replied. "No one has come to see her. Not ever."

Regina grinned, she liked it when things worked out the way she wanted intended. This was one of those times. Despite getting outmaneuvered repeatedly by Rumpelstiltskin in The Enchanted Forest and again by him here in Storybrooke where he was known as Mr. Gold, Regina took comfort in knowing that she could still hurt him. Hurt him in a way he could not defend or manipulate to his favor.

Years ago she had come to his castle and spoke blatant lies. She claimed that Belle had been tortured until she committed suicide. The truth was far from that. Regina stepped down the imposing hallway, its walls built from cinder blocks which were painted in white and were poorly lit. The entire wing was designed to suck the soul out of anyone who was consigned to this wretched hole in the ground.

She stopped at a door and slid open the peephole. Inside was a young woman. This young woman had been here, kept in isolation within the tiny walls for twenty eight years. The woman was Belle, though she had no memory of her life in The Enchanted Forest. All she knew were these four walls of the Psych Ward. As long as this girl remained here, unknown and unloved, Regina had her victory over Mr. Gold. It may have been small, but it was a more than satisfying one.

* * *

**~O~**

PIXIE HOLLOW, NEVER LAND

_If your mother were here today I dare say she would be most disappointed in you._

Those words, spoken by Milori the Lord of Winter, wounded Clarion deeply. She could not put aside the feeling that he was correct. While asleep she dreamt of the faces of her subjects peering at her through the corners of their eyes, judging her. Condemning her. It left young queen feeling shunned and more alone than ever.

Mixed into all of this were feelings for Milori. Though he spoke those words to her he did not say them in spite. His tone was of pity, as if disappointed in her potential not achieved. He felt for her. Cared about her and wanted to have faith in the new queen. Clarion wanted to love him in return, but could not. Not after her mother's final words to her. Not after witnessing the destruction to Pixie Hollow that followed the capture and torture of her father. The torture meant not to extract information from the prince, but from the queen. They took advantage of their bond and exploited it for all it was worth.

Unable to find a proper resolution to her problems Clarion visited the private garden where her parents were buried. Here a pair of memorials stood in honor of the fallen queen and her prince. She stood before a tall and imposing statue of Queen Clarus which was flanked by an equally arresting statue of Prince Devin.

Clarion felt as though she were standing in the presence of greatness. She was. Even as a child Clarion recognized just how towering a figure her mother was. Queen Clarus was never reactionary and kept her wits about her through every crisis facing Pixie Hollow. Clarus was strong of mind and body. And of heart. Her advice to Clarion was always well thought out, though she never told Clarion the solution. Instead Clarus offered sage wisdom which Clarion used to solve the conundrum on her own.

That is what the young queen needed right now. This was why the Clarion was here.

"Mother, please. I need your help," Clarion asked, staring at the sculpture of her mother, which stood straight and tall and regal. "What am I to do? I try to follow your example, but the people hate me. The Lord of Winter suggested that I have betrayed your memory. That cutting myself off from the common folk I have become everything you were not. How do I rule a kingdom? How can I be the queen you wanted me to be?"

Tears began to stream down the young Clarion's cheeks. She sniffled and cried as she spoke to her parent's graves. Her tall wings drooped with despair. "I don't know what to do," she wept. "I am lost without you."

Nothing.

"ANSWER ME!" she cried out to the statues.

Clarion was met with a deafening silence.

"…please" she whimpered.

No answer was forthcoming. Clarion had remembered when she commissioned these memorials. She wanted them to reflect her parents' strength. Here they stood tall and straight, regal and composed, implacable and defiant as any good queen and prince should. The carvings captured her parents' likenesses very well, but at this moment something about them was wrong. They were cold, emotionless and distant.

This wasn't who they really were, she recalled. The moments which she remembered with greatest clarity were the private family moments that no one else saw. The subtle and not so subtle ways her mother and father doted on her. As a child when she witnessed her mother and father embracing little Clarion would race in between them wanting a hug, too. They always accommodated her.

Publicly Queen Clarus carried herself with regal splendor and maintained an unflappable bearing befitting a monarch. Yet she was never as detached from her subjects as Clarion was right now. Clarus wore a queenly veil for the benefit of her subjects, but inwardly she cared for them all dearly.

Milori was right. Her mother would be disappointed. But that would change. Love was not weakness, but strength. It give her mother purpose and now it would give Clarion purpose. Perhaps it could be exploited by others, but the rewards more than outweighed the risks.

With this revelation the young queen realized that she wasn't cutting herself off from her people, but from herself. Clarion did not want to feel the difficult pain of losing her parents, much less the crushing agony of how they died. Now she gave herself what she needed most. Permission to grieve. To love her parents for the gifts they had given her.

Now Clarion was ready. Ready to be queen. Ready to care for her people. Ready to open her heart to a certain Lord of Winter. From this day forward she met Milori, Lord of Winter, each evening at the border right before sunset, just to be together and watch the sun sink into the western sky.

* * *

**This marks the end of part 1. I hope you have enjoyed the ride so far.**

**Season 1 will continue in part 2. Hope to see you there.**


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